The primary mission of these ships is coastal patrol and interdiction surveillance, an important aspect of littoral operations outlined in the Navy's strategy, "Forward...From the Sea."

These ships provide the United States Naval Special Warfare Command with a fast, reliable platform that can respond to emergency requirements in a low intensity conflict environment.

The ships that were on loan to the U.S. Coast Guard were used in a variety of roles, including search and rescue, interception, boarding, and inspection of foreign freighters arriving at United States ports.

As of 2015, ten of the U.S. Navy's 13 Cyclone-class patrol ships were deployed to Naval Support Activity Bahrain in the Persian Gulf, to deal with a potential conflict with Iran.

[5] In the 1980s, the U.S. Navy developed a requirement for a replacement for the Vietnam War-era PB Mk III small (65 ft (20 m)) patrol boats used to transport SEAL teams.

The first attempt to replace the PB Mk IIIs led to an order being placed in 1984 for a stealthy surface effect ship, the Special Warfare Craft, Medium, or SWCM, with a length of about 83 ft (25 m) and a displacement of 150 long tons (150 t).

[10] When Iraq took over responsibility for the terminal's defense, in 2005, ten of the Cyclone-class boats remained in the Persian Gulf, performing other patrol duties from its base in Manama, Bahrain.