Two months ago the Coast Guard cutter Dallas (pictured) sailed from Charleston, South Carolina. Rather than heading south to intercept drug runners and migrants -- two of the biggest Coastie missions -- the 40-year-old ship veered east ... and headed across the Atlantic to the West African coast.

Dallas' recently-wrapped deployment, though unusual for a quasi-military law enforcement agency, continues an accelerating trend in the U.S. sea services. The Navy and Coast Guard are shifting away from traditional missions in favor of 'soft power' exercises in the the world's neglected shallow-water zones (aka 'littorals'). Navy amphibious and hospital ships carry trainers, doctors, aid workers and scientists to Africa and South America, with the goal of alleviating environmental and humanitarian problems that could bloom into crises. Coast Guard cutters, Dallas included, bring law-enforcement training teams to developing countries in order to improve the countries' ability to police themselves.

Dallas skipper Captain Robert Wagner said the Coast Guard is perfect for the African mission. Dallas paid visits to Cape Verde, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, among other nations. ...