The US Navy urgently needs a smaller vessel, while the Coast Guard already operates large cutters with similar capabilities and requirements. Earlier transfers of Navy ships, including destroyers redesignated as cutters, illustrate a history of overlap between the services. In this institutional interpretation, modern competition for federal budgets makes the demarcation of roles more contentious. Defending separate responsibilities and funding can then obstruct an answer to similar operational needs.
Chapter · 1:43-2:35
Coast Guard overlap and the budget politics of patrol ships
Large Coast Guard cutters resemble the Navy's lower-end requirements, while competition for federal funding encourages sharper boundaries between the services.