By Chelsea Robin | 2026-07-22

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has moved its Expeditionary Cutter Squadron to the Indo-Pacific to help deter China's aggressive patrolling in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.

The move is "in response to national security requirements," the USCG announced July 15. The transfer ends the squadron's more than 20-year forward-deployed mission in the Middle East.

"Coast Guard forces have always adapted to meet urgent national needs," explained USCG Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday. "The Expeditionary Cutter Squadron enhances the Coast Guard's ability to deploy our forces in support of Combatant Commanders and national security objectives."

Previously deployed to Bahrain under the USCG's Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA), the squadron now operates in support of U.S. Pacific Command, reflecting Washington's shift in regional focus.

Bahrain, home to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the 5th Fleet, has faced repeated Iranian missile and drone threats under Operation Epic Fury, with local authorities warning residents to take shelter just recently.

The squadron is operating from forward locations in Singapore and the Philippines "to protect the homeland and maritime approaches including Guam and the Pacific Islands," a USCG spokesperson told Janes.

"The cutters are approved to operate from Singapore and Subic Bay in the Philippines through September [2026], with command and logistics handled out of Singapore and vessels rotating through Subic Bay," the spokesperson said.

"These operations reflect a long-standing commitment to a free and open Pacific and support a region where all nations, large and small, can operate freely, safely, and lawfully at sea," the spokesperson said.

"Maritime security operations and cooperative maritime activities" are under way across the region, USCG spokesman Cmdr. Steve Roth said in a statement emailed to Stars and Stripes on July 18.

PATFORSWA comprises six Sentinel-class fast-response cutters: the Charles Moulthrope, Robert Goldman, Glen Harris, Emlen Tunnell, John Scheuerman and Clarence Sutphin Jr.

All six were spotted transiting the Singapore Strait in late March, according to the open-source ship tracker WarshipCam.

USCG cutters are at least 19.8 meters long with permanent onboard living accommodations, further supporting extended operations.

Challenging China

While the United States has previously deployed larger USCG cutters to Subic Bay -- a former U.S. military base on Luzon Island facing the South China Sea -- this deployment marks the first operational use of fast-response cutters from that location and emphasizes a new strategic posture.

The USCG operates fast cutters from Guam and Hawaii, but basing the Expeditionary Cutter Squadron in Singapore and the Philippines puts the USCG closer to South China Sea hot spots -- a move Beijing called an "overreach."

"Yet, this painstakingly orchestrated 'expedition' will do nothing to alter Beijing's firm resolve or its capability to safeguard its sovereign rights in its home waters," the Chinese Communist Party-affiliated Global Times wrote in an opinion piece.

A Wall Street Journal report characterized the deployment as helping to "challenge China's assertion of power in the Pacific."

"The Coast Guard deployment is the latest step in Washington's efforts to deter Beijing from moving on Taiwan or South China Sea features that are also claimed by other countries, including the Philippines and Vietnam," the newspaper reported.

The USCG "works alongside regional partners to promote maritime security, stability, and adherence to international law, and we will not characterize the actions or intentions of other nations," the unidentified USCG spokesperson told Janes.

Strengthening regional partnerships

The PATFORSWA cutters are already engaged in training and exercises with regional allies and partners, demonstrating the practical impact of their redeployment.

For example, the Charles Moulthrope and the Emlen Tunnell participated in a Maritime Cooperative Activity June 27–28 with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone.

The AFP deployed Philippine coast guard patrol vessels BRP Melchora Aquino and BRP Capones and Philippine naval frigate BRP Antonio Luna to participate alongside the USCG, according to a U.S. 7th Fleet news release.

The USCG and AFP participated in a series of interoperability activities over the two-day exercise, including a search-and-rescue exercise, a maritime domain awareness activity and division tactics, it said.

"We always appreciate opportunities to learn from our partners," said Lt. Ethan Goldcamp, commander of the Emlen Tunnell. "There's exponentially more knowledge and expertise to gain when we work together, and each of these areas build upon our interoperability."