52 Proceedings Fall 2024 An L3 Harris Arabian Fox MAST13 unmanned surface vessel, front, the Coast Guard fast response cutter Charles Moulthrope, the dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Amelia Earhart, and the guidedmissile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) transit the Strait of Hormuz in August 2023. Navy photo cost of living allowance of roughly $1,000 per month. Financial incentives are not the only motivating fac- tors bringing folks out here. Enlisted members serv- ing aboard FRCs earn “Priority One” for follow-on assignments. Shore-based PATFORSWA members earn “Priority Two.” The juniormost members, or non-rates, receive priority placements for A-school, letting them jump long waiting lines for schools and putting them in position for popular A-schools that are typically diffi- cult to get into. For our petty officers and chiefs, though, having Priority One or Two means they are likely to get one of their top picks for a follow-on assignment. From my conversations with folks, the assignment priority appears to be the number one factor that influenced a decision to serve here. For junior officers, I have seen the vast majority elated about their follow-on orders after PATFORSWA. Besides pay benefits and assignment pri- ority, other benefits include 30 days of time off, known as “proceed time,” before reporting to their next job. There is also the likelihood of receiving several ribbons and/or medals, including U.S. Navy awards; staying in a really nice apartment in a high-rise building, courtesy of Uncle Sam; and specialized training. These are just a sampling of the benefits afforded Coasties serving in PATFORSWA that make forward-deployed life comfort- able and rewarding. But material benefits only go so far. Humans crave a reason for being. We all need a worthwhile mission to support to feel like our time, effort, sweat, tears, and sacrifices are worth it. Thankfully, PATFORSWA comes through in spades. It has been a significant contribu- tor to national priorities in the Middle East while under the tactical control of NAVCENT for nearly 21 years. In that time, the mission has evolved from protecting oil platforms off of Iraq and Kuwait in the early 2000s. The current mission set includes: • Protecting commercial shipping from illegal seizure in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman • Exercising freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz • Conducting narcotics and advanced conventional weapons interdiction operations in the Arabian Sea • Bolstering key Middle East partner nations through subject matter exchanges and exercises throughout the region These mission sets came into focus over the past few years and fully leverage the FRC’s expanded capabilities. As the U.S. Navy no longer has patrol craft and continues building toward placing littoral combat ships in Bahrain, the FRCs represent a large portion of NAVCENT’s for- ward-deployed fleet operating in the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and Arabian Sea. Furthermore, after tensions in the region heightened in October 2023 after the Hamas-led attack on Israel, U.S. naval assets continue to focus on operations in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Coast Guard FRCs are achieving mission success in the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and Northern Arabian Sea. For the crews on the FRCs, this translates to a large