This year’s Coast Guard edition is really outstanding. It discusses some issues I think are fundamental to the future of the Coast Guard. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you probably ought to be a member, but even if you are not, you can get limited access.
Topics include the need for a Coast Guard Yard on the West Coast (mentioned in three different articles), arming National Security Cutters, the process behind Force Design.
- Reclaim Mare Island as an NSC Center of Excellence
- Build Future Frigate Lethality on Coast Guard Cutters Now
- Foresight, Force Design, and How the Coast Guard Can Win the Long Game
All three noted above are written by serving Coast Guard Officers.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 
Mare Island would make a great USCG West Coast Super Base, and expand the maintenance facilities just like in Charleston.
IF the USCG were to create a NSC Center for excellence then it should be a joint Navy/USCG Center of Excellence for the Class and include the Frigate.
Ideally the Frigate upgrades would be what takes place to U.S. Navy FF(X) for production, and prepares USCG personnel for potential mobilization. The ASW mission equipment upgrade should be included along with the Propulsion System.
The thing that was missing was that we need a containerized active/passive towed array.
After spending a huge quantity of treasure NAVSEA failed to develop such a system. The tactical towed arrays are good but limited in capability. The CAPTAS 4 VDS system with all of its lesser siblings quite the development by Thales Underwater Systems. Navies globally perform diverse missions, from maritime security to Force projection. The CAPTAS product range offers solutions for all Anti-Submarine Warfare missions and ship sizes. The CAPTAS VDS System is dominating the Full Spectrum of Anti-Submarine Warfare Operations and Missions. The CAPTAS system is trusted by 18 navies with 100+ units ordered or in service globally.
If NAVSEA does anything it should be to incorporate CAPTAS into our Combat Management Systems and begin improvements.
The US Navy also uses CAPTAS 4 and if we need any further endorsement. French frigates equipped with CAPTAS 4 have repeatedly won a USN run ASW competition.