What's The U.S. Coast Guard Doing In Africa?

From the Danger Room:

Two months ago the Coast Guard cutter Dallas (pictured) sailed from Charleston, South Carolina. Rather than heading south to intercept drug runners and migrants -- two of the biggest Coastie missions -- the 40-year-old ship veered east ... and headed across the Atlantic to the West African coast.

Dallas' recently-wrapped deployment, though unusual for a quasi-military law enforcement agency, continues an accelerating trend in the U.S. sea services. The Navy and Coast Guard are shifting away from traditional missions in favor of "soft power" exercises in the the world's neglected shallow-water zones (aka "littorals").

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My Comment: I am not sure if the Coast Guard is the best service to use for this type of operation. Others disagree.