Entering into service in 2008, the Legend class is the largest of several new cutter designs developed as part of the Integrated Deepwater System Program.

[12] These vessels can be used for a variety of tasks, including environmental protection, search and rescue, fisheries protection, ports, waterways, and coastal security, counterterrorism activities, law enforcement, drug interdiction, defense operations, and other military operations, including assigned naval warfare tasks with the U.S.

The cutters are configured to survive in low-threat environments, such as an enemy having a poorly equipped military, some coastal patrol craft, and few to no anti-ship cruise missiles.

The cutters can survive in medium-threat environments, which can include a fairly well equipped military of ships and aircraft with weapons and radar coverage well offshore, higher numbers of anti-ship cruise missiles, and a possible submarine threat.

[19] The cutter has a rear-launching ramp, capable of launching and retrieving the two aft-stored RHIBs while underway.

[34] The Legend class is equipped with the same 220 rpm Bofors 57 mm gun as mounted on the U.S. Navy's littoral combat ships and Constellation-class frigates.

[35][36] Guided 57 mm ammunition is being developed for the Mk 110 for the Navy and Coast Guard, including for use on the National Security cutters.

[40][27] The NSC is capable of carrying a sonar that is reported as having mine and underwater swimmer location ability.

[42] The cutter's weapons, command and control suite can be upgraded and is hardened to survive potential attacks and process increased data flow.

[44] Construction of Stratton, which now carries a crew of 123, began in 2008 at Huntington Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula.

The vessel was christened by first lady Michelle Obama in July 2010, and delivered to the Coast Guard in September 2011.

[47] In July 2009, the Government Accountability Office reported that delays in the NSC program are likely to result in "the loss of thousands of cutter operational days for conducting missions through 2017.

Earlier ships have not had that problem, so it may be the result of the cathodic protection system being hooked up in reverse.

The first NSC, the Bertholf, has had structural enhancements put into place to fix reports of fatigue life issues.

[4] The Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2020 makes available $100.5 million for long lead-time material for a 12th cutter.

[57][58] In March 2023, the Coast Guard's proposed FY2024 budget requested $17.1 million in procurement funding for the NSC program for post-delivery activities for the 10th and 11th NSCs, class-wide activities that included test and evaluation, and program close-out support, thereby suggesting it is not pursuing the option of a 12th cutter.

[59] In January 2018, a whistleblower lawsuit against Lockheed Martin was unsealed, alleging that the company had sold defective communications systems to the NSC program.

[60][61] Huntington Ingalls Industries has proposed two "patrol frigates" for Navy use, based on the NSC hull.