The US Coast Guard (USCG) is working closely with Vietnamese counterparts to enhance the freedom of navigation and overflight, said Admiral Karl L. Schultz, Commandant of the USCG.
Admiral Karl L. Schultz, Commandant of the US Coast Guard. Photo: Twitter
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Admiral Schultz informed that he recently hosted Vietnamese Coast Guard leadership.
Vietnam was among the first countries to receive a Hamilton-class High Endurance cutter in 2017 through the U.S. Excess Defense Article Program. The USCGC Morgenthau cutter joined the Vietnam Coast Guard’s fleet and was renamed CSB 8020.
He noted that many Indo-Pacific nations lack the capacity and capability to fully police their sovereign waters, making them vulnerable to narcotics trafficking, human smuggling, illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing, piracy, and terrorist activities, he said. “In the face of coercive and antagonistic behavior, the United States Coast Guard offers transparent engagement and partnership.”
“Through engagement, partnership, and presence, we are a maritime bridge between the Department of Defense’s lethality and the State Department’s diplomacy.”
“My goal for the Coast Guard is to be a partner of choice in the region. So, we tailor our services to the needs of the nation we are supporting. Our long-term commitment to capacity-building spans the range of Coast Guard expertise, including: the transfer of cutters through Excess Defense Articles; multi-national security exercises; bilateral search-and-rescue and law enforcement agreements; the hosting of shipriders on Coast Guard vessels; and the deploying of training teams to share technical expertise and to build proficiency.”
When asked about the US strategy to counter China in the South China Sea, Admiral Schultz the US Coast Guard, the US Navy are “absolutely in support of free and open sea lines of communication in international waters. We’re open to resolving disputed territorial claims in the appropriate international court venues.”
