The U.S. Coast Guard is accelerating long-term investments in cutters, aviation assets and autonomous systems following what service leaders described as a historic infusion of funding from Congress in 2025, according to
The U.S. Coast Guard is accelerating long-term investments in cutters, aviation assets and autonomous systems following what service leaders described as a historic infusion of funding from Congress in 2025, according to testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee.
During the hearing, Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) pressed Admiral Kevin Lunday, Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, on how the service is translating recent budget increases into operational capability, particularly in the Indo-Pacific.
Adm. Lunday said the Coast Guard has already expanded its cutter presence in the region, adding nine vessels and permanently shifting a medium-endurance cutter to the Pacific. Congress has also funded two additional fast-response cutters for Guam, further strengthening forward presence. A pending FY2026 appropriation would add $116 million in operating funds to support training, engagement teams across Pacific Island nations, and enhanced national security operations.
“The Indo-Pacific is not just somewhere overseas,” Adm. Lunday said. “Because of Hawaii and our territories, it is also the U.S. homeland.”
While praising the impact of recent “plus-ups,” he emphasized that one-time reconciliation funding must be followed by steady annual appropriations to fully capitalize and operate new assets. “These assets are badly needed,” he said, “but it’s the crews that operate
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