I always thought our coast guard was there to protect OUR coast. If they’re being deployed that far they may as well become part of our navy.
They are there to protect our shipping and to convey a message to counter the growing Imperialist actions of the CCP Dictatorship claiming Tiwanese and International waters as their splash pond.
(Last time I checked, we won Taiwan (Formosa) from Japan at the end of WWII, and rather than ruling it as a protectorate territory we set it free. We have a more recent claim to Taiwan than the running dogs of the CCP, which i do not think existed at when we declared its independence.)
Smaller ships are traditionally part of the Coast Guard.
The cutters, with crew of 2 officers, 20 crew, are much cheaper to deploy than destroyers,
I looked into joining the Coast Guard years ago, and the recruiter informed me that they’re not always deployed or operating in the waters around the U.S.