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The biggest thing the coast guard might have to intercept is, (ISPS lover's favorite scenario) a hijacked ULCC. The best way to do that is with a spec ops team, and maybe some intimidation - A shot accross the bow works nicely for me. When the drug runners start using submarines (For real! Come ON!), they'll worry about that, there and then.
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The Coast Guard does not just face down drug boats and hijacked merchies, during WWII and the Cold War they played an important ASW role as well. Today, with the shrinking Navy fleet of FFG's, as well as the Navy's disintrest in building any new primarily ASW surface combatants, the Bertholf with a 4,112 ton displacement (larger than the Perry class' 4,000 tons) makes an excellent fill in for the ASW patrol/escort mission. At least 8 Bertholf's will be built (although studies have shown a need for more than 30, which may be ordered if funding is there) so the USCG could pick up a sizeable amount of the Navy's slack, while still fulfilling other missions and presenting a more formidable threat to those that threaten US waters.
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It'd be simply ridiculous to outfit the USCG with harpoon, torpedoes, towed array sonar, and you name it... I'd say that dinghy launch bay stern is probably the best thing ever put on a coast guard cutter since the helicopter.
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The Russian Border Guard Forces (ex-KGB) operate far more heavily armed vessels that the USCG, including 6 Krivak III's that are almost as heavily armed as their Navy brethren. I think they may be on to something-keeping foreign subs and anything else unwanted out of our waters would be easier with an ASW armed Coast Guard. The stern ramp is a great idea, I just think that it should be removable so it could be replaced by a modular towed array.