US coastguard sails into troubled waters with mission to counter China in Pacific - South China Morning Post

Laura ZhouPublished: 3:00pm, 11 Sep 2026Updated: 6:20pm, 11 Sep 2026The United States is leaning on its coastguard to reinforce its presence in the western Pacific as its navy comes under increasing strain in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, the US embassy in Manila said it would hand over two new coastguard vessels to the Philippines to “support search and rescue missions and increased maritime domain awareness”.

The announcement followed a visit to Manila last month by Pentagon undersecretary for policy Elbridge Colby, who said the US would deploy four fast-response cutters on rotation to work with their Philippine counterparts in the country’s exclusive economic zone.

Observers said the shift highlighted the squeeze on US resources, with warships continuing to be deployed to the Middle East as a peace deal with Iran proves elusive.