US is to invest billions of dollars to enhance its icebreaker fleet

(MENAFN) The United States is set to invest billions of dollars to enhance its icebreaker fleet, a move supported by funding included in President Donald Trump’s recently approved budget bill.

Acknowledging that the US currently trails Russia—which operates the world’s largest and most advanced fleet of ice-capable vessels—Washington aims to strengthen its position in the strategically important Arctic region. Vice President J.D. Vance emphasized in March the need for America to “ensure that America is leading” amid growing competition from Russia and China.

Trump’s extensive budget plan, dubbed the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ allocates nearly $25 billion to the US Coast Guard through 2029 for the purchase of 16 new icebreakers and ten light and medium icebreaking cutters, along with other equipment, according to Senator Dan Sullivan from Alaska. Sullivan called the funding the largest in Coast Guard history and described it as a “game-changer.”

Currently, the US has only two operational polar-class icebreakers, while Russia boasts a fleet of over 50 ice-capable ships, including several nuclear-powered vessels. NATO countries collectively operated 47 icebreakers as of 2022.

Eight nations have territories reaching into the Arctic: Russia, the US, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. All except Russia are members of NATO.

Trump has also revived interest in Greenland, a resource-rich Arctic territory under Danish control, and has not dismissed the possibility of acquiring the island by force.

As climate change makes the Arctic more accessible, its potential for resource extraction and new shipping routes is attracting increased global attention. While most of the Arctic lies within Russian territory, President Vladimir Putin highlighted the region’s “enormous potential” for trade and development earlier this year, while cautioning that geopolitical rivalries are intensifying.

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