The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Bailey Barco (WPC 1122), a fast response cutter, patrols the waters near Unalaska, Alaska, while providing a security escort for the USS Kentucky, an Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine, August 24, 2017. The Bailey Barco, homeported in Ketchikan, Alaska, is the first Coast Guard fast response cutter to transit the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Ens. Brandon Newman

The Ketchikan Daily News republished by the Juneau Independent reports that,

“The Coast Guard cutters John McCormick and Bailey Barco ‘are currently completing short-duration deployments to the United States’ southern border,’ Travis Magee, a spokesperson for the U.S.Coast Guard Arctic District, said Thursday in an email to the Ketchikan Daily News.  

“’These operations are part of the Coast Guard’s commitment to secure the U.S. maritime border and its approaches,’ Magee said.”

I have long felt PACAREA has not received their fair share of resources. This unusual move seems to support that contention, but was this really the best way address a shortfall–if there was one?

About 85% of the US EEZ is in Pacific Area, but they have only nine large patrol cutters (6 NSCs and 3 WMECs) while Atlantic are has four NSCs and 19 WMECs for a total of 23 large patrol cutters. Currently Pacific Area has only 19 FRCs while Atlantic Area districts have 36. (Six additional FRCs are assigned to PATFORSWA.) District SE has more FRCs than all of Pacific Area combined.

I have been posting reports of West Coast migrant interdictions since February 2025 adding them as comments to an earlier report, and it seems that while there has been a surge, it has been local, concentrated around San Diego. The local Coast Guard units have been quite successful in interdicting alien smugglers.

USCGC John McCormick (WPC 1121) did interdict 36 suspected aliens approximately 22 miles offshore of San Diego.

It is not clear from the report how long WPC 1121 was away from homeport.

I found no indication that Bailey Barco made any interdictions, but she just got to San Diego June 7 after an 8 or 9 day transit.

There is no way these deployments will not have affected District Arctic operations.

Thanks to David for bringing this to my attention.