In the South China Sea, small ships hold the line between peace and war. Why is the Navy getting out of the small ship business and leaving it all to the Coast Guard?
The Philippine Navy will receive two second-hand Cyclone-class patrol vessels from the USN, plus a second pair of Shaldag V fast attack craft have arrived from Israel.
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USCGC Hamilton recently completed a visit around the Black Sea. This visit was notable for a couple of reasons. First, this was the first time the United States Coast Guard has operated in the Black Sea since 2008 when Russia invaded Georgia. Second, this U.S. deployment to the Black Sea came on the heels of a sizable Russian military buildup in the region.
Russia deployed tens of thousands of troops along its border with Ukraine during this recent military buildup. These military deployments were spontaneous and unrelated to any scheduled training exercises. Unlike major U.S. and NATO training exercises in Europe, Russia gave no prior notification to the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe. Unsurprisingly, Russia’s actions were watched with alarm across Europe.