“Trump Administration Opens Pacific Remote Islands Marine Monument to Commercial Fishing” –gCaptain

Posted on April 24, 2025 by Chuck Hill

Pacific Remote Islands Marine Monument. Map courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Thursday opening the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) to commercial fishing, marking a substantial change in U.S. fishing policy.

The proclamation specifically permits U.S.-flagged vessels to conduct commercial fishing operations within 50 to 200 nautical miles of the PRIMNM’s boundaries. This decision affects an expansive marine protected area spanning approximately 495,189 square miles in the central Pacific Ocean – a region nearly five times the size of all U.S. National Parks combined.

This would seem to provide additional justification for a Coast Guard base and cutters (presumably Webber class WPCs) in American Samoa to provide additional safety for US fishermen and to keep unwelcome foreign fishermen out.

“Coast Guard Cutter Midgett to return to Honolulu following Operation Blue Pacific patrol” –D14

Posted on April 1, 2025 by Chuck Hill

USCGC Midgett (WMSL 757) get underway from Honolulu to conduct sea trials off the coast of Hawaii, Dec. 13, 2024. Midgett is the eighth Legend-class national security cutter, suited to support various missions such as maritime security, law enforcement, and search and rescue. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler Robertson)

Below is a US Coast Guard District 14 news release.

I like the fact that they included links for previous releases about Midgett’s patrol. Presumably she departed on or about January 15. Really think these types of releases should include departure dates and list of port calls.

Who: U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Matthew Rooney, commanding officer of Coast Guard Cutter Midgett (WMSL 757) and crew.

What: Coast Guard Cutter Midgett and crew are scheduled to return home following a 76-day Operation Blue Pacific patrol in Oceania. Media are invited to watch the Midgett and crew moor at Sand Island and families reunite with crew members. Media will be able to film the cutter’s return and interview crew members.

Where: Coast Guard Base Honolulu, 400 Sand Island Parkway, Honolulu, HI 96819

When: Tuesday, April 1 at 8 a.m.

HONOLULU – The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Midgett (WMSL 757) is slated to return to Coast Guard Base Honolulu Tuesday.

The Midgett’s crew deployed in support of Operation Blue Pacific, the Coast Guard’s multi-mission campaign that enhances maritime governance and security in Oceania, from January 16 to April 1.

During the patrol, the Midgett crew conducted shiprider operations, key leadership engagements, and community relations activities in Tuvalu, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, and American Samoa. The crew also conducted astern refueling with Coast Guard Cutter Frederick Hatch (WPC 1143) and escorted the Hatch to dry dock in Honolulu.

For more information about the Midgett’s patrol:

Commissioned in 2019 and homeported in Honolulu, Midgett is the eighth Legend-class National Security Cutter. At 418-feet, these cutters are the largest and most capable in the U.S. Coast Guard fleet. Equipped with advanced technology, they are ideally suited to support a wide range of missions, including maritime security, law enforcement, and search and rescue operations.

For more information follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

“Coast Guard to send 3 more cutters to Guam, has no plans to escort Philippine ships” –Stars and Stripes

Posted on October 2, 2024 by Chuck Hill

A U.S. Coast Guard boat crew and boarding team from U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Oliver Berry (WPC 1124) approaches a foreign fishing vessel to conduct a joint boarding inspection with members of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission on the high seas in Oceania, Sept. 22, 2024. U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Oliver Berry’s crew recently completed a 45-day patrol in Oceania in support of Operation Blue Pacific, promoting security, safety, sovereignty, and economic prosperity in the region.

Stars and Stripes reports,

The Coast Guard will double its Guam fleet to six cutters but doesn’t plan to accompany the Philippine coast guard as it struggles to maintain territorial claims in the South China Sea, the service’s Pacific-area commander said Friday.

This is based on a video news conference by Pacific Area Commander Vice Adm. Andrew Tiongson speaking from Japan.

“The Coast Guard will not escort Philippine resupply missions to the BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded warship garrisoned by Filipino troops at the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, according to Tiongson.”

The Philippines has not asked for escorts, Tiongson said. “We do advise, and we do assist,” he said. “We provide what we would do in this situation.”

He also said, “It’s possible we may get another Indo-Pacific support cutter,” using the description applied to USCGC Harriet Lane, recently arrived in the Pacific Area to support operations in the Western Pacific.

There is more in the article.

“Q&A: Vice Admiral Andrew J. Tiongson, Commander, Pacific Area and Commander, Defense Force West, U.S. Coast Guard” –Seapower

Posted on August 15, 2024 by Chuck Hill

Tiongson speaks at a press conference before the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Waesche offloads 18,219 pounds of cocaine, worth more than $239 million, on Dec. 6, 2023. U.S. Coast Guard

The Navy League’s on-line magazine, Seapower, has an interview with the Pacific Area Commander. There is a lot of good information here.

HC-130Js (and C-27Js):

CGAS Sacramento will “transition” to HC-130Js. Pacific Area certainly needs the long range aircraft because, while 84% of the US EEZ is in Pacific Area they have only three fixed wing air stations (Kodiak, Barbers Point, and Sacramento) while Atlantic Area has five fixed wing air stations to cover only 16% of the US EEZ.

What will happen to the C-27Js? No mention was made of these. They might go to Guam. That would be helpful in providing fixed wing search aircraft in the Western Pacific. Recently there was a SAR case in the Western Pacific. A C-130 was dispatched from Barbers Point, but the flight was so long the crew needed a day’s rest before the aircraft could be used in the search. On the other hand, Guam might not be an optimal location since it is so far West. There are other options.

Fast Response Cutters:

As I read the statement, the intention is to have a total of six FRCs in Guam and add a fourth in Hawaii.

His discussion about these little ships clearly indicates that their nominal five-day endurance (same as the preceding 110 foot WPBs) is being exceeded regularly.

“The FRCs, first off, are game changers for the Coast Guard in general. Back in the day, we had patrol boats that were limited in terms of the sea states they could handle, the food that they could carry, the number of crew members and certainly their duration at sea. The FRCs have changed that.”

Six WPCs in the same port is not unusual. District 7 has three different ports, each homeport to six or seven Webber class, but this may be a move toward replicating a PATFORSWA type organization to support 7th Fleet in the Western Pacific.

Large Patrol Cutters:

There was a brief discussion of the Offshore Patrol Cutters, but no indication of when they are expected to arrive in PACAREA.

A second “Harriet Lane or Indo-Pacific support cutter” is on PACAREA’s unfunded priority list. For some reason, I think this may happen.

Commercial Icebreaker Procurement:

Plans for the commercial icebreaker (Aiviq) were discussed. It will be homeported in Juneau, as reported here in March, but still has not been purchased and it will take two years to complete changes to make it fully operational.

The admiral was asked, “Is the commercial icebreaker going to be crewed by Coast Guardsmen or by a contract crew?” and there was no definitive answer. Should the Coast Guard adopt a hybrid crew, as has been done by some Navy vessels it would be a major change in Coast Guard policy.

The Eastern Pacific Drug Transit Zone:

Atlantic Area cutters are not assisting in Eastern Pacific drug transit zone interdiction efforts, as they normally would, because they are heavily engaged in migrant interdiction operations.

Trusted Partner:

The Area Commander talked a lot about what being a trusted partner meant, about partnerships with Asian coast guards, and the outsized effect of having a few good people in liaison positions.

“US Coast Guard says boardings of Chinese fishing vessels in South Pacific legal” –Reuters

Posted on April 9, 2024 by Chuck Hill

Australian Royal Navy personnel stand in formation on a pier as the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane (WMEC-903) and crew prepare to moor at HMAS Cairns, Queensland, Australia, March 7, 2024. The Harriet Lane and crew had a five-day port call in Cairns during its inaugural 2024 Operation Blue Pacific patrol in Oceania. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Ty Robertson)

Reuters reports,

The U.S. Coast Guard has rejected comments by a Chinese diplomat that its recent boardings of Chinese fishing boats in the Pacific Islands alongside local police are illegal, saying the joint patrols are at the behest of Pacific nations to protect coastal fisheries…In the letter, Wang (China’s Ambassador to New Zealand Wang Xiaolong–Chuck) claimed the agreements are not binding on China’s fishing fleet.

Does this mean Chinese Fishing Vessels will resist boardings originating from US Coast Guard vessels even if they are headed by agents of the coastal state? or when USCG officers are acting on behalf of the Coastal State?

“Media Advisory: U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane is scheduled to return to home port following inaugural Operation Blue Pacific Patrol in Oceania” –CG News

Posted on April 6, 2024 by Chuck Hill

Below is a Coast Guard News release. The release has some videos including interaction with children in Port Vila, Vanuatu (very cute).

One thing that caught my eye was the use of the plural in this statement, “The Coast Guard plans to use medium endurance cutters (emphasis applied–Chuck) for responsibilities in Hawaiian waters, as well as an increase Coast Guard presence throughout the Indo-Pacific and Oceania.”

Was this just a misstatement by the PAO or does this mean we will see more WMECs in 14th District?

I would also note that Harriet Lane apparently made this patrol without a helicopter. Barbers Point does fly H-65s, but last I heard, they only have three. Did the cutter at least have a Scan Eagle?

Editor’s Note: Media should RSVP by Monday, April 8 by 4 p.m. to Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Fisher at ryan.m.fisher@uscg.mil
Imagery of Harriet Lane’s patrol can be found here: Operation Blue Pacific

Who: U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Michael Day, commander U.S. Coast Guard Fourteenth District, and Cmdr. Nicole Tesoniero, commanding officer U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane (WMEC 903).

What: U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane and crew are expected to return to home port after their inaugural Operation Blue Pacific patrol in Oceania. Media are invited to watch Harriet Lane and crew moor at Pearl Harbor and families be reunited after being away for more than 70 days. Media will be able to hear remarks from Day and Tesoniero regarding Operation Blue Pacific and the increased Coast Guard presence in Oceania.

Where: Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, 1000 North Rd, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96860

When: Tuesday, April 9 at 10 a.m.

Harriet Lane and crew partnered alongside allies and several Pacific Island countries from January to April 2024. Among those countries were Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Nauru and Marshall Islands. The focus was on advising and sharing best practices, along with bolstering our partners’ capabilities to promote and model good maritime governance in the region.

Harriet Lane and crew expanded U.S. Coast Guard presence in Oceania alongside Pacific Island countries exercising bilateral maritime law enforcement agreements with shiprider provisions to strengthen maritime domain awareness and support efforts to combat illegal fishing activities with partners with whom we have existing relationships.

The Harriet Lane is U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area’s newest Indo-Pacific support cutter and spent more than 15 months in a Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) in Baltimore, Maryland, to prepare for the transition in missions and operations.

The Coast Guard plans to use medium endurance cutters for responsibilities in Hawaiian waters, as well as an increase Coast Guard presence throughout the Indo-Pacific and Oceania. The ship is especially suited for longer-range six-to-eight week joint operational and training patrols in the Pacific, taking pressure off shorter range Hawaii-based cutters more suited to service closer to home port.

Commissioned in 1984, Harriet Lane is a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to support Coast Guard missions in the Pacific region. The service’s medium endurance cutter fleet supports a variety of Coast Guard missions including search and rescue, law enforcement, maritime defense, and protection of the marine environment.

“Vanuatu police, aided by US Coast Guard, say Chinese vessels violated fishing laws” Reuters

Posted on March 8, 2024 by Chuck Hill

USCGC Harriet Lane arrives Pearl Harbor. USCG Photo.

Reuters reports,

“Six Chinese fishing boats were found to be violating Vanuatu’s fisheries law after being inspected by local police who were on board the first U.S. Coast Guard boat to patrol the waters of the Pacific Islands nation, Vanuatu police and officials said.”

Nice to see positive results from USCGC Harriet Lane‘s first Pacific law enforcement deployment. (In just over a month, Harriet Lane will turn 40 years old.)

Notably,

“Last year, a Coast Guard vessel on patrol for illegal fishing was refused access to Vanuatu’s port.”

“End of NASSE Operation 2023” –Sea Waves

Posted on September 5, 2023 by Chuck Hill

French frigate Vendemiaire, moored in Sydney Harbour. This 20 knot ship of the Floréal class looks a lot like a coast guard cutter. Photo by Saberwyn

Sea Waves reports the completion of a multi-national Fisheries Management exercise involving the US, Australia, New Zealand, France, and Fiji, from 20 June to 15 August.

The US Coast Guard deployed a C-130 to participate in the exercise. US vessels were involved but they were not identified. I am a bit surprised I have seen nothing from the USCG on this exercise.

The Sea Waves report appears to be a French news release. There is a New Zealand Defense Force view of the exercise here.

More on the developing relationship between Australia and France here. including an explanation of the “Pacific quadrilateral defense coordinating group* (PQUAD),” e.g., Australia, France, New Zealand, and the US, referred to in the post, as opposed to the “Quad,” e.g., Australia, India, Japan, and the US.

The French don’t normally have a lot of military assets in the Pacific. Much of what they have looks like coast guard, but they have the largest EEZ in the world and great strategic geography.

French Exclusive Economic Zone. Photo credit: B1mbo via Wikipedia.

This exercise is another step along the way to what appears to be inevitable international fisheries management and enforcement.

“Papua New Guinea leads joint maritime operations with U.S. Coast Guard” –Coast Guard News

Posted on August 24, 2023 by Chuck Hill

The USCGC Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139) command stand for a photo with partners from the Papua New Guinea Defense Forces, Customs Services, National Fisheries Authority, and Department of Transport’s maritime security division following an operational planning and subject matter exchange with partners in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea on Aug. 22, 2023. The U.S. Coast Guard is in Papua New Guinea at the invitation of the PNG government to join their lead in maritime operations to combat illegal fishing and safeguard maritime resources following the recent signing and ratification of the bilateral agreement between the United States and Papua New Guinea. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Warrant Officer Sara Muir)

Passing along this from Coast Guard News. Like the fact that the Papua New Guinea government is taking the lead on this. We are helping them build capacity not doing the job for them.

Editor’s Note: For more images, please click here.

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea — Papua New Guinea (PNG) has invited the USCGC Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139) to join their lead in maritime operations to combat illegal fishing and safeguard maritime resources during August 2023.

This collaborative effort marks the first time a joint patrol effort will be executed at sea since the signing and ratification of the recent bilateral defense agreement between PNG and the United States, which allows the U.S. to embark shipriders from PNG agencies aboard the ship to conduct at sea boardings on other vessels operating in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) under their national agency authority. This is the U.S. Coast Guard vessel deployment first announced during Secretary of Defense Austin’s engagement with Prime Minister James Marape in July.

PNG’s lead in this mission aligns with their sovereign rights to protect the EEZ and emphasizes the country’s commitment to maritime domain awareness, fisheries regulation enforcement, and sovereignty protection. The PNG government requested the U.S. Coast Guard’s participation to utilize the platform and crew of the Guam-based 154-foot Fast Repones Cutter, currently on an expeditionary patrol, to expand coverage of the heavily trafficked maritime EEZ.

“Through our recent operational planning and subject matter exchange, the partnership between the Papua New Guinea Defence Force and the U.S. Coast Guard reached new heights. The spirit of collaboration and shared mission to ensure regional maritime security reflects our nations’ aligned values and commitment. This initiative fosters growth in our bilateral relationship and paves the way for innovative approaches to safeguard our waters and the sustainable use of our ocean resources. Working alongside the U.S. Coast Guard is an honor, and PNGDF eagerly anticipates our cooperative efforts’ continued growth and success,” said Commodore Philip Polewara, the Acting Chief of the PNG Defence Force.

The PNG-led patrol aims to observe activity and conduct boardings to reduce illegal fishing and illicit maritime activities in PNG’s EEZ. It’s part of a long-term effort to counter illegal maritime activity and safeguard the sustainable use of maritime resources.

This collaboration is vital to Operation Blue Pacific and augments ongoing efforts by the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency and Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission. It underscores the recent bilateral agreement, signed in May and ratified in the last few weeks, enabling the Myrtle Hazard crew to work collaboratively within PNG’s legal framework and strengthen relations with agencies with shared objectives.

The USCGC Oliver Henry (WPC 1140) crew was the first U.S. Coast Guard Fast Response Cutter to call on port in Papua New Guinea during their southern expeditionary patrol in the fall of 2022 to build relations, conduct engagements, and resupply.

The USCGC Myrtle Hazard’s crew is building on the work of their colleagues – already engaging with the PNG Defense Force through exchanges in the northern part of the country on this patrol, bolstering cooperation and understanding. This activity included subject matter exchanges with the PNG Defense Force Patrol Vessel Ted Diro crew and a port call in Rabaul, where the team engaged with the local community at the Rabaul Yacht Club. Additionally, the advance team and cutter crew conducted operations planning and subject matter exchanges across agencies in Port Moresby and ship tours for the embassy team and partners.

“We are deeply honored to collaborate with the Papua New Guinea Defense Force, Papua New Guinea Customs Services, Papua New Guinea National Fisheries Authority, and the Department of Transport’s Maritime Security Division at the invitation of the Papua New Guinea Government,” said Lt. Jalle Merritt, commanding officer of the USCGC Myrtle Hazard. “Our shared mission reflects PNG’s leading role in regional security, and we are committed to supporting their goals in this significant undertaking.”

For more information about this patrol and other related activities, please contact Chief Warrant Officer Sara Muir at sara.g.muir@uscg.mil or the respective agencies in Papua New Guinea.

“US to Deploy Coastguard Ship to Papua New Guinea” –The Defense Post

Posted on August 13, 2023 by Chuck Hill

The USCGC Oliver Henry (WPC 1140) crew arrives in Manus, Papua New Guinea, on Aug. 14, 2022, from Guam as part of a patrol headed south to assist partner nations in upholding and asserting their sovereignty while protecting U.S. national interests. The U.S. Coast Guard is participating with partners to support the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency-led Operation Island Chief and the larger Operation Blue Pacific through patrols in the Western Pacific in August and September 2022. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by SW3 Victor Villanueva, NMCB-FOUR)

(Sorry, this is a couple of weeks old.)

The Defense Post reports,

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday announced the deployment of a US Coastguard ship to Papua New Guinea, as Washington seeks to boost its military footprint in the region amid fierce competition for influence with China…“A US Coastguard cutter will be here in August,” Austin said as he became the first Pentagon boss to visit Papua New Guinea.

Again, the Coast Guard is being used as an instrument of foreign policy. That is not a bad thing, but it is a fact.

It is not like the Coast Guard has not been there before. The photo is from 2022, but the US and Papua New Guinea are seeking closer, mutually beneficial ties.

For Papua New Guinea this means improvements to dual use (military and civilian) infrastructure (ports and airfields), increased economic activity, and help with preventing IUU fishing.

For the US, the diplomatic activity is prompted by Chinese attempts to obtain influence in Oceania that seemed to have been demonstrated when the Soloman Islands failed to respond to a request for a routine replenishment stop for USCGC Oliver Henry (pictured above).

Thanks to Paul for bringing this to my attention.

Chuck Hill's CG Blog

Category Archives: Oceania