US Navy patrol boats

Why dosent the US Navy make greater use of/have more patrol boats especially of the Cyclone Class and the IBU vessels? The US Navy has what? 3 Cyclone class vessels in the CONUS?

I realize that we have the US Coast Guard to perform many of the coastal area functions that in other nations are direct naval functions but IMO (especially here on Long Island) the USCG is more focused on search and rescue rather then law enforcement and homeland security but yet we also have alot of drug smuggling and illegal immigration on our shores (ex. the Golden Venture incident in 1993 where about 300 Chinese illegal immigrants swarmed ashore onto an NYC beach).

Our Coast Guard is sorely lacking in funds and has been for 50 years. They are treated like second class and have been in a state of disaray for 30. The equipment is kept up by fantastic men who have little or nothing to work with. Parts and servicesv nearly non-existant. Since 911 it has been payed lip service but nothing has realy changed. Out fishing fleet and our pleasure boating comunity is under great stress as to safety concerns. It needs real, intense, upgrading fast. Its a shame and not something we can continue to ignore!
Zindo

I hear you, check out the book America the Vulnerable by Stephen Flynn (a former USCG officer btw) which goes into great detail about the the readiness and condition of the USCG ... he himself states that he feared for the day his cutter ever had to use their .50 Browning M2s because they had no spare parts, the ammo was all corroded, and were issued only one box of ammo for 2 machine guns and on top of it all, only something like 3 out of 10 crew had any training in using the Browning M2!

Its an exellent book and a big eye opener:
www.amazon.com...

[edit on 4-5-2008 by ChrisF231]