6 March 2025
When a mariner whose homeport is Honolulu, Hawaii, labels Sydney Harbour as “one of the most beautiful harbours he’s ever seen”, it reaffirms the old adage that Australia truly is the "Lucky Country".
United States Coast Guard Lieutenant Jacob Behne is a combat systems officer on board USCGC Midgett, one of 10 Legend-class National Security Cutters operated by the US Coast Guard with a mission of maritime law enforcement, border security, search and rescue, fisheries protection, drug interdiction and other assigned defence tasks.
With the 127m frigate-sized ship currently on a port visit to Sydney, Lieutenant Behne said sailing into Sydney had been the highlight of the crew’s South Pacific deployment.
“We are really thankful to the Royal Australian Navy for supporting us here and giving us the opportunity to get logistics and explore the town and country,” he said.
Just like the Royal Australian and United States Navies, the US Coast Guard works closely with Australian Border Force (ABF) to promote interoperability between the two allied nations. This commitment is punctuated by Lieutenant Behne’s previous deployment with the ABF Fast Response Boat Unit in the Torres Strait as an observer.
“It was a great experience. I picked up some specialised techniques surrounding small boat handling and boarding procedures, while I was able to share with my Border Force colleagues some skills in medevac practices in remote areas,” Lieutenant Behne said.
Commanding Officer HMAS Kuttabul Captain Rebecca Levitt said the base support provided to Midgett was just one example of the continuing bilateral relationship between Australia and the United States.
“It’s a strong relationship and it needs to be. We have a large patch of ocean we need to protect and we deeply value our United States partners,” Captain Levitt said.
'We are really thankful to the Royal Australian Navy for supporting us here and giving us the opportunity to get logistics and explore the town and country.'
She said Kuttabul was always happy to host partners with common values.
“Visits like this one ensure our friendship is strengthened and it gives us opportunities to practise our interoperability,” Captain Levitt said.
Commanding Officer USCGC Midgett Captain Matthew Rooney thanked Australia for making the US Coast Guard feel welcome in Sydney, as they continued their deployment in the region.
“The Coast Guard supports a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Captain Rooney said.
“We will support all of our Pacific partners who invite us to assist them in upholding international law.”
He reaffirmed the merit of having sailors from multiple Pacific nations on board as observers during their Pacific deployment.
“We’ve seen success in shipmates sharing ideas and it’s these personal connections that solidify partnerships between international allies and agencies,” Captain Rooney said.
On this deployment, Midgett will visit American Samoa, Tuvalu, New Zealand, Australia and Papua New Guinea in support of the US Coast Guard’s Operation Pacific Blue.
Operation Blue Pacific is an overarching multi-mission US Coast Guard invests in to promote security, safety, sovereignty and economic prosperity in Oceania, while also building relationships with the United States' Pacific partners.
