The U.S. Coast Guard sees “an emerging mission set for us in the Indo-Pacific region,” Admiral Kurt Schultz, the head of the Coast Guard, said in an interview with DefenseOne released Friday.

The comments follow the U.S. Treasury’s May call to action for the maritime industry to help counter North Korean sanctions evasion.

Adm. Schultz highlighted two U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) cutters, the Bertholf and the Stratton, for their work in trying to stop North Korean sanctions evasion last year.

“The Bertholf and the Stratton did about five months each, patrolling there back-to-back… [doing] work ranging from UN Sanctions,