The U.S. Coast Guard Is Playing A Bigger Role In Asian Waters

US Coast Guard cutter Munro transits the Taiwan Strait with US Navy destroyer USS Kidd in August.US Navy 

Business Insider: On the front lines against China, the US Coast Guard is taking on missions the US Navy can't do 

* The US military has turned more of its attention to the Pacific amid competition with China. 

* The Coast Guard has been key, conducting missions other services aren't equipped or allowed to do. 

* But it already has worldwide commitments, and higher demand in the Pacific could tax its resources. 

Competition with China has drawn more Pentagon resources to the Pacific, but the most visible US military presence there might be the branch that is outside of the Defense Department. 

The ships and personnel of the US Coast Guard, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, are spending more time in the region conducting missions for which other branches aren't well suited, balancing that increasing demand with a lengthy list of other responsibilities.  

Read more ....  

Update: US Coast Guard Touts Expanded Role in Pacific, Says China Gets ‘Excited’ During Training With Taiwan (Sputnik)  

WNU Editor: The U.S. Navy is also busy .... US Navy official says service is going ‘head to head with our adversaries’ all over the world (Navy Times).