United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard has increased its international engagements throughout the Pacific in recent years. Through initiatives such as the Pacific Area Campaign Plan, the Coast Guard plays a pivotal role in advancing the White House’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and the National Maritime Domain Awareness Plan. Such efforts align with the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, the long-term vision for the region developed by the 18-member Pacific Islands Forum.
Harnessing regional expertise and understanding the advantages of coordinated responses to environmental threats and illegal fishing, the Coast Guard established two key centers of expertise in Honolulu, Hawaii, in October 2023. The Indo-Pacific Marine Environmental Response Regional Activities Center (MER-RAC) and the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fisheries Center of Expertise (IUUF COE) bring together Coast Guard specialists and international partners to share best practices, facilitate expert exchanges and develop collaborative strategies for addressing transnational issues.
The MER-RAC is a hub for oil spill preparedness and response coordination across the region. By fostering preparedness and promoting information exchanges, the center aims to expedite and streamline responses to environmental emergencies, minimizing potential damage to sensitive ecosystems and coastal communities. In November 2023, 10 Pacific island nations attended a MER-RAC workshop to share information, discuss best practices and develop collaborative response plans.
The IUUF COE is a focal point for combating illegal fishing, which threatens marine resources and undermines legitimate fishing industries. Through capacity building, data sharing and collaborative enforcement operations, the center supports partner nations in protecting fisheries critical to national welfare and prosperity. The U.S. Coast Guard is recognized worldwide as a leader in countering IUU fishing.
“The MER-RAC and IUUF COE support new and existing relationships through a variety of frameworks and cooperative agreements to assist international partners in pollution response preparedness and combating illegal fishing activities,” said Rear Adm. Sean Regan, Coast Guard District 14 commander. “The establishment of these centers exemplifies the Coast Guard’s commitment to working alongside our neighbors to address issues like environmental threats and illegal fishing head-on.”
The Honolulu-based District 14 has the Coast Guard’s largest geographic area of responsibility, covering about 52 million square kilometers of land and ocean that encompass the Hawaiian Islands, most of the Central and Western Pacific, Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia. This immense region’s diverse cultures and maritime environments necessitate a robust and collaborative approach to addressing its complex challenges. Coast Guard personnel foster crucial relationships with Pacific partners, leveraging their collective expertise to enhance maritime security and uphold the stability and prosperity of the Pacific. In September 2023, for example, Coast Guard personnel engaged in detailed exchanges with Micronesian marine police on boarding procedures, fisheries enforcement techniques and incident response protocols.
District 14 also engages in a robust search and rescue (SAR) exercise program, including simulations, to bolster regional capabilities and partnerships, and it provides a collaborative framework for international SAR efforts. In the past year, District 14 has participated in SAR exchanges with Australia, Fiji, Micronesia, New Zealand, Tahiti and Tonga, and partnered in more than a dozen SAR operations with those nations. In April 2024, just months after a SAR exercise with Micronesia, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy and Micronesian personnel coordinated a multifaceted SAR operation for three missing mariners. The mariners, from a Micronesian atoll about 3,000 kilometers east of the Philippines, used palm fronds to spell out “HELP” on the beach, helping aviators find them. The crew of the Coast Guard cutter Oliver Henry rescued the mariners and returned them home. The operation underscored the role of effective coordination and partnership in ensuring a more secure maritime environment.
In October 2023, District 14 personnel partnered with Samoa’s maritime police and the Royal Australian Navy for an exercise focused on SAR and maritime domain awareness. The joint exercise scenarios simulated rescue operations in remote Pacific waters, bolstering communication and collaboration among partners. District 14 vessels also conduct coordinated patrols to combat IUU fishing and other illegal activities in partner nations’ exclusive economic zones (EEZ) under Operation Blue Pacific, which encompasses all Coast Guard activities in Oceania.
At the 2023 Indo-Pacific Sea Power Symposium in Australia, the Coast Guard showcased its operational capabilities through vessel displays and tactical demonstrations, while highlighting key areas of focus such as partnerships, emerging threats and maritime diplomacy.
In January 2024, District 14 welcomed the cutter Harriet Lane to the team. On its inaugural Oceania patrol, the vessel traveled more than 15,000 nautical miles, with the crew exercising bilateral maritime law enforcement agreements with four Pacific island partners, including conducting 27 joint boardings, and participating in key leader engagements and expertise exchanges with eight Pacific partners.
The Coast Guard has shiprider agreements with 12 Pacific island nations: Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Such agreements allow the Coast Guard to partner with local authorities in enforcing sovereign laws through joint vessel boardings and inspections within the host nation’s EEZ. The bilateral patrols enhance partner nations’ capacity to safeguard their extensive maritime areas against IUU fishing, drug trafficking, piracy and other illicit activity. The agreements, which date back decades, also cover SAR activities and environmental response. “These shared missions strengthen the sovereignty of our Pacific nation partners by protecting vital marine resources and upholding international law,” said JoAnna McFall, foreign engagements strategic advisor for District 14. “Through these missions, we forge the bonds of family among those of us that call the Blue Pacific home.”
The Coast Guard regularly participates in bilateral and multilateral panel discussions on shared challenges, and its fisheries enforcement expertise resonates with regional partners, paving the way for joint operations and information sharing. The Coast Guard also contributes to sessions on upholding international maritime law, championing the principles of freedom of navigation and peaceful resolution of disputes, and demonstrating its commitment to fostering a stable and predictable maritime environment.
Beyond such endeavors, District 14 has conducted major operations and missions, including deploying an HC-130 Hercules aircraft from Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii, to expedite relief efforts after Cyclone Lola devastated Vanuatu in October 2023. In coordination with Australia, France and New Zealand, the Coast Guard worked with the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Vanuatu National Disaster Management Office to assess damage, deliver aid kits and medical supplies, and transport medical personnel and relief workers. The mission showcased the Coast Guard’s ability to provide prolonged humanitarian assistance in challenging environments.
Through its robust network of partnerships, expertise centers and advancing operational capabilities, the Coast Guard plays a crucial role in regional maritime security. “The Coast Guard remains resolute in its commitment to the people of Oceania,” said Regan, the District 14 commander. “We will continue to build partnerships, refine our expertise, and deploy our capabilities to ensure a secure and prosperous Pacific region for generations to come. By listening and working with our partners, we aim to enhance maritime safety, protect our shared maritime environment and promote legitimate fishing activities to sustain vital resources so all nations thrive.”
