During this period, revenue cutters came closer to a standing maritime force than the Navy because they had continuing duties and direct Treasury funding. The Navy had little political standing, while the Revenue Cutter Service belonged to a department with a reason to maintain it. This arrangement gave the cutter service continuity even when support for a larger navy was weak. Bureaucratic ownership could shape which security institutions endured.
Notable Point · 9:14-9:35
Treasury funding sustained a standing cutter force
Direct Treasury funding helped make revenue cutters a more continuous federal maritime force when the early Navy had limited political standing.