The United States Coast Guard has recently commissioned two new vessels, the polar icebreaker Storis and the cutter USCGC Earl Cunningham, which are set to bolster America's presence in the Arctic.
This strategic region is predicted to gain significant importance in the coming decades.
According to RedState, the Storis was commissioned on Sunday, marking the first addition to the U.S. Coast Guard's polar icebreaker fleet in a quarter of a century. The former oilfield supply ship is the pioneer in a series of icebreakers expected to join the Coast Guard in the near future.
These vessels are deemed crucial for the United States to uphold its sovereignty and border control in and around the Arctic Ocean.
Troy Edgar, deputy undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency of the Coast Guard, emphasized the strategic importance of this move. He stated, What were doing here today is were really just preparing to build our Arctic fighting force.
The following day, the USCGC Earl Cunningham was commissioned in Kodiak, Alaska. The ceremony was presided over by Acting Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday and attended by members of the Cunningham family, including the ships sponsor, Penney Helmer, granddaughter of the cutters namesake.
The addition of the Storis is particularly significant given the U.S. Navy's lack of icebreaking capacity. This responsibility falls to the Coast Guard, which until now, operated only one heavy icebreaker, the Polar Star, and one medium icebreaker, the Healy, for Arctic operations.
A 2023 report by the Coast Guard estimated the need for eight or nine polar icebreakers to fulfill its Arctic role, including an equal number of heavy and medium icebreakers. This need becomes more pressing as China and Russia increase their activity in the Arctic, with Russia holding half of the Arctic Ocean coastline, thereby escalating the Coast Guard's role in the north.
During the commissioning of the Solis, Alaska's Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) highlighted the urgency of the situation. He said, I think Singapore has more icebreaking capacity than we do. That has left us far behind our adversaries.
Russia has more than 50 operational icebreakers, many nuclear-powered, many weaponized. China, which has no Arctic territory, is building a polar fleet and is spending a lot of time off our shores, including this summer.
The One Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law by President Trump, allocates around $9 billion for new icebreaking ships, with the President expressing his intent to add 40 polar icebreakers to the Coast Guard's fleet.
The strategic importance of the Arctic is set to escalate, with China, despite having no Arctic holdings, increasing its activity in the region. Russia, with its extensive history of Arctic operations and significant Arctic Ocean coastline, is also a key player.
As the strategic significance of the Arctic and Alaska intensifies, the United States must be prepared to assert and maintain its presence in the region. The commissioning of the Storis and the USCGC Earl Cunningham is a step towards ensuring this readiness.
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