The US Navy’s Indo-Pacific Commander told lawmakers this week that he’s willing to fund a Coast Guard cutter in the South Pacific—a top priority for American Samoa and Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata. KHJ News Washington DC correspondent Matt Kaye reports…
Admiral Sam Paparo told the House Armed Services Committee that he’s ready to allocate funding to boost the Coast Guard presence in the South Pacific, a region whose security and economy have been increasingly threatened by China.
This exchange between California Rep. John Garamendi and Admiral Paparo…
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(Transc.) Garamendi/Paparo: “I’m told it costs about $140 million dollars to have a Coast Guard cutter available, operating in the Pacific Islands. Is that an investment that you’re willing to make from the Pacific Defense Initiative?
Paparo: Yes, sir.”
But that wasn’t all Paparo had to say about the Coast Guard…
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(Transc.) Paparo: “The Coast Guard provides a critical role in the South Pacific. And that is, counter-lawfare, counter-elicit trafficking, counter illegal, illicit and unregulated fishing. And those are key advantages, the Coast Guard’s uniquely capable of doing that, and they’ve done a wonderful job for us.”
Congresswoman Amata has long pushed for stationing a Coast Guard cutter in Pago Pago harbor, reacting recently to Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s complaints of illegal Chinese boats near his Rhode Island…
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(Transc.) Amata: “And for me, this dovetails with my drumbeat, that the Coast Guard should operate out of our harbor and be stationed here in Pago Pago as a sign of U.S. commitment on this issue.”
Amata now says she’s “encouraged” by Admiral Paparo’s testimony emphasizing the Coast Guard’s importance in the Pacific Islands, including combating illegal fishing.
And that the $140 million cost per cutter in the islands is “well within the national security funding priorities of the United States.”
