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US coastguard eyes China, Russia in making Indo-Pacific ‘a top regional priority’
Geostrategic importance and criticality to global trade cited amid ‘active’ cooperation this year between Beijing and Moscow in Arctic Ocean
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Laura Zhouin Washington
The US coastguard has pledged to prioritise operations in both the Indo-Pacific region and Arctic Ocean amid challenges posed by China and Russia in the vital passageways, according to its newest operational posture statement.
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“The Indo-Pacific is a top regional priority given its geostrategic importance, criticality to global trade and the threat contesting a free, open and rules-based maritime commons,” according to the statement released on Friday.
American efforts include continued support in combating predatorial fishing practices, an expanding presence and cooperation in Southeast and South Asia and funding for cutters, deployable teams of experts as well as liaison officers, attaches, legal support and foreign engagement personnel in the Indo-Pacific.
The US coastguard is also looking for a new fleet mix of eight icebreakers, both heavy and medium, to meet the goal “of persistent presence in the Arctic and seasonal Antarctic presence”, the statement said.
On Friday, Vice-Admiral Peter Gautier, the US coastguard’s deputy commandant for operations, voiced a need to expand its capability.
The American maritime force and law enforcement agency has faced challenges, especially in building heavy icebreakers, Gautier said in a talk at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank.
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