Coast Guard and Drug Enforcement Administration teams arrive by small boat to board the China-flagged oil tanker Chang Hang Xi Wang off Guam on March 23, 2025. (Trenton Jones/U.S. Coast Guard)

The U.S. Coast Guard on Guam is expecting at least two new cutters next year, an addition that would expand its operations as the service reprioritizes border security.

The fast response cutters USCGC Vincent Danz and USCGC Jeffrey Palazzo should join U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam’s three existing cutters by the end of 2026, according to sector spokeswoman Chief Warrant Officer 2 Sara Muir.

The Coast Guard projects a sixth cutter at Guam, but Congress has yet to allocate funds for it, Muir told Stars and Stripes by email Friday. Congress funded the Vincent Danz and Jeffrey Palazzo in fiscal year 2024.

Ahead of the two cutters’ arrival, Sector Guam is readjusting its priorities to focus more on U.S. domestic security and maritime borders, Muir and Cmdr. Ryan Crose, sector deputy commander, said by phone Friday.

“Our mission sets have remained the same, but given our limited resources out here in Guam, we can’t always focus on all the missions all the time,” Crose said. “So, we have sort of focused – or transitioned our focus – to border security and the integrity of our territories.”

The USCGC Myrtle Hazard sails between Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands during missions from March 13 to March 23, 2025. (Jackson Collins/U.S. Coast Guard)

Senior Coast Guard leadership in Washington D.C., ordered the shift, Muir added. The Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security, now under Secretary Kristi Noem.

To achieve that goal, Sector Guam is deploying its cutters closer to islands like Guam and Saipan, rather than farther out to sea, Crose said. However, new cutters would allow more flexibility on deployments.

“Obviously, with more resources, we’ll be able to continue to focus on a larger set of our missions, as opposed to sort of having to pick and choose with the limited number of resources we currently have,” he said.

The pivot won’t affect the Coast Guard’s commitment to building strong relationships with regional neighbors, which remains a “cornerstone” for the service, Muir said.

Coast Guard Forces Micronesia is responsible for 1.9 million square miles – about 60% of the size of the contiguous U.S. – with its major focus on Guam, Saipan and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Port security, unsafe ocean crossings, illegal immigration and other illicit maritime activity remain among the Coast Guard’s top concerns.

Over the past several years, Saipan has become a pathway for Chinese citizens to illegally enter Guam, enabled in part by a no-visa program that allows them to stay up to two weeks.

Coast Guard efforts to close that pathway appear to be paying off, Muir said.

“Authorities note deterrence is working; we’ve seen a decrease in these crossings lately, which shows our presence and teamwork are hitting the mark,” she wrote.