One of U.S. Southern Command's (SouthCom's) primary missions is detecting and monitoring illegal narcotics flowing from South America. Because Navy warships have higher priorities in other regions, Coast Guard cutters often provide the majority of surface forces to SouthCom, through Joint Interagency Task Force–South (JIATF-S). With the 2020 counternarcotics surge, however, a number of Navy ships deployed to the SouthCom operating area. This surge came with an unsung hero: the oiler. Regular deployment of fleet replenishment ships to SouthCom would not only improve the effectiveness of available ships by increasing their time on station, but also enable the Coast Guard to build skills critical to any operation in the western Pacific.

https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/october/southcom-needs-oiler

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