With increased Russian and Chinese presence in the Arctic, U.S. national security relies on the Coast Guard’s ability to patrol our arctic waters. Ships with icebreaking capabilities – known as “icebreakers” – enable the Coast Guard to conduct arctic missions, monitor foreign activity, and ensure the Navy’s access to our Arctic assets. Despite the great importance of these ships, the U.S. only owns two icebreakers, one of which is broken.
The Storis commissioned in Juneau
On Aug. 10 of this year, the icebreaker Storis was commissioned in Juneau. Senator Dan Sullivan fought hard to include nearly $25 billion in historic Coast Guard investments in the Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill. That package included $300 million for shoreside infrastructure to homeport the Storis in Juneau, Alaska. Senator Sullivan stated at the commissioning ceremony: “This ship is an investment in real capability, real people, and a real presence in the region that defines the next chapter of global security, commerce, and energy.
While the commissioning of the Storis is great news, the grim reality of America’s insufficient presence in the Arctic overshadows the celebration. According to a press release from Aug 10 this year: “Russia has 55 icebreakers and is in the process of building more. By 2025, China, which has no sovereignty over any Arctic waters, is set to surpass the United States’ icebreaker fleet. The Alaska congressional delegation has long since recognized this as a competitive disadvantage in the Arctic and advocated for additional resources to bolster the USCG icebreaker fleet.”
Finland joins U.S. in icebreaker production effort
On Oct 10, Sullivan’s office sent out a press release announcing a new agreement between the U.S. and Finland. According to the press release: “This partnership reinforces the trilateral Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE) Pact between Finland, the United States, and Canada, allowing all three nations to significantly accelerate icebreaker development and production through shared expertise and resources in support of America’s Arctic security.” Although the ICE Pact was signed Nov. 14, 2024, it has done little to increase U.S. Coast Guard presence in the Arctic. Senator Sullivan is optimistic that the new U.S.-Finland agreement as well as the extensive funding provided by the Big Beautiful Bill will lead to real results that enhance our national security.
Sen. Dan Sullivan (Alaska) speaks on historic US-Finland icebreaker announcement – October 10, 2025
Potential concerns
Despite the national security advantages this agreement brings, some may wonder: Will more icebreakers increase military tensions in the region? Will breaking more ice allow foreign non-icebreaking ships easier access to Arctic waters? Will accelerated ice-breaking impact climate change?
For those concerned about climate impact, a study by the National Snow and Ice Data Center shows that icebreakers have minimal impact on accelerating open waters. Icebreakers break thin or floating ice, which does not significantly contribute to sea levels.
Regarding potential military tensions, the increased presence of American icebreakers in the Arctic is intended to counteract the large Russian and Chinese presence in the area. While Russia and China may exercise their “right to transit passage” afforded by the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas, America must assert its control of the region. The intent is to use the icebreakers to enhance national security, not to put it at risk.
I hope the Storis is homeported in Juneau, permanently and soon.
My concern, previously stated, is, to the extent the US acquires more icebreaking ships, far too many will be mostly tied up in Seattle, providing fancy permanent jobs to a community that cares less and less about Alaska. And, of course, Seattle is thousands of miles away from the Arctic. Let’s get serious about Arctic defense. Station a ship at Dutch Harbor, one in Nome, two in Kodiak, one more in Juneau. Stationing ships in Seattle is inconsistent with the mission. If we are serious.
When I went to the Coast Guard in 1966 it was almost 17 different icebreakers the largest one for the one built by US steel for the Great Lakes that couldn’t get out of the lock then we got one from Noah called the Burton Island and that’ll be a full wind class that we got from Navy when they discontinued ice breaking duties, but there was three ships in Bay St. George Staten Island had ice breaking capabilities, countless amount of tugs that could break harbor ice up to 2 feet and they let all just go by the wayside and so another years ago to decide to build the the two polar class one sit in the mud as a scrapyard for the one that runs and then we have the medium orange cutter that’s supposed to be for ocean graphic work if it wasn’t so much in fighting between who gets what money and for what reason we would’ve had breaker a long time ago
I was on the Coast Guard cutter conifer. We broke ice Chesapeake Bay all the way to Tanger Island so that fisherman could get out and make a living. If I remember they put a reinforced bow in our yard. 1968 and off we went making crunching sounds that would keep us up all night
Nice but not exactly hard-hitting political insider stories anymore. Political chicanery and malfeasance in Alaska politics must have all been cleaned up since Suzan’s departure. Sure thing.
The headline here should read: “Sullivan sells out US shipbuilders. He instead facilitates a deal with a European builder to secure a vital piece of US security infrastructure.”
Oh, you mean the US ship builders who don’t build them anymore, unless paid extortionate king’s ransoms for each ship they build,well behind the promised delivery date??? Those US shipbuilders??
8 years of Obama and 4 years of Obiden decimated many of our heavy industries.
No, the industries committed suicide by greed.
Prove your seemingly baseless assertion.
Its been a,lot longer than that, though, those years definitely made it even worse. The biggest problem is that anything can involving building things is considered ” dirty” and it’s s anathema to the Green Ayatollahs. The dogma of the Greens is” no human advancement EVER!!!!!” “And the existing technology must be scrapped, in an environmentally friendly, permanent manner, so that it cannot be resurrected” and ” people are a cancer on the Earth!”