U.S. Coast Guard Cutters Alert (WMEC-630) and Charles Sexton (WPC-1108) escort the motor vessel Grace in early September 2026. The Coast Guard interdicted the vessel following a coordinated international enforcement operation concerning its suspected illicit transport of fuel to Cuba. The vessel was later escorted to Progreso, Mexico, where a Mexican Navy inspection team confirmed the presence of large quantities of fuel in its ballast tanks. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

This is unusual. Below is a news release from CG HQ. No indication in the release as to why the Mexican Navy was involved. I suspect that Mexico was the last port of call. No flag state is reported, but it appears she was last registered in COMOROS, an independent volcanic island nation, located in the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of Africa, at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel between Mozambique and Madagascar.

Obviously M/V Grace is not a tanker.

Most interestingly the release seems to indicate that this is a continuing operation.

CGNR 2019 departs the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics facility in Marietta, Georgia, on April 14, 2026, for the Coast Guard Aviation Projects Acquisition Center in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, where warranty and logistics flights were conducted before the aircraft’s induction into the missionization process. Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin.

Below is a CG HQ news release.

This represents an acceleration of an existing program to replace existing fixed wing aircraft, both C-130H and C-27Js, with C-130Js. Generally the Coast Guard had been purchasing one C-130J per year. Sometimes these were added by Congress when not included in the budget request. This bumps it up to two per year.

Not mentioned is the fact that these are also potentially important mobilization assets both as transports and potentially even as cruise missile carriers. The addition of Minotaur which is now standard on all Coast Guard fixed wing aircraft gives them advantages compared to unmodified C-130s.

There are currently only nine government owned C-130Js in Alaska and five of those are Coast Guard based at Kodiak. There is also a squadron of eight C-17s.

A U.S. Coast Guard C-130 participates in forward arming and refueling point (FARP) operations during Arctic Expeditionary Capabilities Exercise (AECE) in Adak, Alaska on Sept. 18, 2019. US Marine Corps Photo

The Air Force has developed the ability to deploy various weapons, including Quick Strike,  from the back of C-130s and C-17s. The program is called Dragon Cart, formerly Rapid Dragon. There is no reason Coast Guard C-130Js should not be qualified, tested, and exercised to provide the capacity.

Airmen and Riggers with the 1st Special Operations Squadron Logistics Readiness Squadron load a Rapid Dragon Palletized Weapon System aboard an MC-130J Commando II at Hurlburt Field, Florida, Dec. 13, 2021. The Rapid Dragon system deploys weapons using standard airdrop procedures from cargo aircraft. Photo by Staff Sgt. Brandon Esau

U.S. Coast Guard crews patrol the Rio Grande near Mission, Texas, in October 2025 as part of Operation River Wall. U.S. COAST GUARD

Defence News reports,

“After overseeing a purge of Pentagon advisory committees last year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is adding a new one to the list, focused on homeland security and defense.

“Announced in the Federal Register Sept. 11, the Homeland Defense Board aims to fill a gap Hegseth sees in providing military guidance to homeland security missions.

“’The specific, integrated advice required by the SecWar regarding the military’s mission of defense of the Homeland and Homeland security cooperation is not available from any other Federal advisory committee, government agency, or alternative source,’ establishing documents state.”

The Coast Guard is mentioned only once.

The large-scale deployment of National Guard troops to U.S. cities to support law enforcement; the ongoing deployment of troops to the southern border; and the aggressive move into drug interdiction missions traditionally executed by the U.S. Coast Guard have all blurred the lines between the mission sets of the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security. The establishing memo suggests the new board will create a bridge between the two that didn’t previously exist.

This might be an avenue to providing more visibility for the Coast Guard’s role in defense and for obtaining more Navy support for drug interdiction.

It may allow the Coast Guard to have more interaction with services other than the Navy; after all, the Army is still legally responsible for Coast Defense and if we detect an attack underway, we may need to ask for help from an Army or Air Force base.

It’s not clear if the Coast Guard will have any representative on the board.

“Also on the board will be one civilian and one field- or mid-grade officer from each military branch and ‘such other members as the SecWar or the Deputy Secretary of War may appoint or designate,’ establishing documents state.”

but that may only refer to DOD/DOW military services.

Above is a video interview from Naval News. Denmark has approved procurement of five. 

Wish I could tell you more about the ships, but this is the best information I was able to find. I think they will be about the size of the Offshore Patrol Cutters which means about 4500 tons. I would guess the speed will be about 24 knots. Looks like they will be armed with a 76mm and a 35mm Rheinmetall Oerlikon Millennium Gun.

The video states the ship can break one and a half meters of first year ice and a meter of multi-year ice. It appears the ship will have propeller shafts rather than Azipods.

MATILLA, J. AGUIRRE y JUAN C. SÁNCHEZ / EL MUNDO

Russian “Gerbera” drone, downed by Ukrainian border guards in Sumy region of Ukraine on 5 January 2025.

It has always seemed way too easy to discretely launch a swarm of drones from a merchant ship. You might think they would be limited by the number of operators, but really they can be programmed to fly directly for known geographic coordinates, and AI is opening up possibilities of autonomous attacks on moving targets.

This suggests that cutters need to be armed to take down drones, not just for self-defense but to protect important potential targets.

Defense News reports,

“The CIA has warned European countries of a suspected Russian plot to launch Gerbera-type drones from aboard commercial vessels in the Mediterranean, a new report says.

“Major Spanish daily El Mundo published the article, which was based on testimony from an anonymous Lithuanian intelligence source, late Wednesday local time.

“According to the paper, the CIA had assessed that Spain, France or Italy may be the targets of these attacks, with drones launching from international waters in the Mediterranean and traveling to the coastal countries over the course of an hour or two.”

CGAS Kodiak

The Coast Guard Cutter Douglas Munro (WHEC 724) is moored at the cutter’s homeport of Kodiak, Alaksa, April 24, 2021. The Douglas Munro was decommissioned during a ceremony following 49-years of service to our nation. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Matt Masaschi

Another investment in infrastructure. Below is a CG HQ news release.

NAVSTA Newport, RI

Below is a quote from the Department of War contracts for September 22, 2026.

That is a lot of money for infrastructure. Good to see. We have known for a long time, the fifth and sixth OPC were scheduled to go to Newport. Hopefully we will have #5 by 2030.

Ironically they will be the most powerful surface ships, Navy or Coast Guard, on the Atlantic Coast home-ported North of Virginia.

Thanks to Paul for bringing this to my attention.

“Skanska USA Civil Northeast Inc., Waltham, MA is awarded a $271,226,000.00 firm-fixed price contract for construction services for Design-Bid-Build United States Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Cutters Homeport Pier. Work will be performed at Naval Station Newport, Newport Rhode Island, and is expected to be completed by March 2030. The maximum dollar value, including the base price and four options, is $271,226,000.00. Fiscal 2022 Major Acquisition Systems Infrastructure and fiscal 2025 One, Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), Department of Homeland Security, Coast Guard funding in the amount of $271,226,000.00 will be obligated at the time of the award. The amount of $51,108,836 will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The remaining amount will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the http://www.SAM.gov website, with three offers received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia is the contracting activity (N40085-26-C-0032).”

USCGC Munro and HMCS Max Bernays. “Aircraft can cover large areas quickly but operate for limited periods, while ships can remain in strategically important waters and maintain surveillance longer. The U.S. Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy demonstrated that role earlier in September when USCGC Munro and HMCS Max Bernays conducted a September 8-9 combined sail through the Bering Sea under TUNDRA MERLIN. U.S. Northern Command described the activity as part of the effort to sustain maritime presence, improve domain awareness and integrate U.S. and Canadian capabilities across North America’s Arctic approaches.”

Army Recognition’s Navy News reports,

The United States and Canada are testing a faster Arctic kill chain near Russia, using Alaska-based F-35 fighters, E-3 Sentry airborne warning aircraft, and maritime forces to accelerate the detection, tracking, and engagement of threats approaching through the Bering Sea. During Operation TUNDRA MERLIN from September 18 to 22, 2026, the two countries are linking sensors and combat platforms roughly 100 nautical miles north of Dutch Harbor to reduce the time between initial contact and a coordinated response.

It is clear that at least USCGC Munro is a significant player in this exercise. It appears the surface ships, both USCG and RCN would be used to shadow Russian and Chinese ships to look for suspicious activity (called taking custody in the report). They might also be called upon to inspect suspicious vessels.

The second requirement is tracking and maintaining target custody. Detecting an aircraft or vessel once is insufficient if commanders lose its position, identity, or movement before an interception can be organized. Maritime patrol aircraft can search broad ocean areas and classify contacts, while surface and subsurface vessels can maintain closer surveillance of the maritime target. Combining their information with airborne radar and other sensors allows U.S. and Canadian commanders to construct a continuously updated operational picture rather than relying on isolated detections from individual aircraft or ships.

I can appreciate the fact that aircraft are the weapon of choice given the way the allied surface ships are armed. The Coast Guard cutter is better armed than the RCN Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships, (AOPS) but given that cruise missiles fit nicely in a 40 foot container, on a variety of potentially hostile ships, I would like to see the surface ships be able to quickly respond with deadly force if a merchant ship suddenly reveals an offensive capability. The 57mm Mk110 is not enough. A 25mm Mk38 certainly is not enough. The AOPS and cutter can currently perform only a trip wire function.

Both the National Security Cutters and the Canadian AOPS do have data link which is really a requirement for this mission.

The AOPS is capable of operating in light ice but otherwise it is not as capable as the NSCs.

Speed could be important for this mission, both for making the initial intercept and for the ability to stay with a contact of interest. The AOPSs’ 17 knots may not be adequate. Canadian conventionally powered submarines might also have trouble keeping up with faster ships. Canada does have frigates stationed on the West Coast and they or the proposed “Vigilance Continental Defense Corvette” would generally equal the NSC and provide better armament.

CGAS Kodiak C-130Js equipped with Minotaur, could be an important contributor to  Maritime Domain Awareness in the Arctic, but they were not mentioned in the report.

At some point the Coast Guard will have long range, longe endurance, shore based, medium altitude UAS which would also be very useful in this type of operation. They might ultimately replace a cutter or AOPS in monitoring Russian or Chinese traffic.

What about the US Navy? The Pacific Fleet virtually never sends surface ships much North of the Aleutians. They do send submarines. They really need to reopen NAS Adak, Navy P-8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft could be very useful.

From left to right, Coast Guard Vice Adm. Joseph Buzzella, Coast Guard Pacific Area Commander, Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class William McKnight, a rescue swimmer at Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak, Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Samuel Hoppe, an aviation maintenance technician at Air Station Kodiak, and Coast Guard Master Chief Josh McBride, Coast Guard Pacific Area Command Master Chief, pose for a portrait after awarding Air Medals in Kodiak, Alaska, Sept. 17, 2026. McKnight, Hoppe, and their aircrew rescued nine lives aboard the fishing vessel Arctic Sea which ran aground near St. George Island. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Cameron Snell)

Above is from Defense Video Information Distribution Service Coast Guard News Wire.