The Department of Homeland Security announced that government representatives from the three Arctic Council countries have signed a memorandum of understanding to engage in trilateral cooperation to develop and build “world-class Arctic and polar icebreakers.”

“Today, just months after launching this partnership, we are taking a significant step forward to strengthen collaboration on the production of these vessels through the exchange of knowledge, information and resources between our countries” , we read in a press release. White House press release. “This transformative partnership will strengthen our ability to enforce international rules and maintain security in the polar and Arctic regions, while laying the foundation for a resilient and competitive shipbuilding industry capable of meeting domestic demand and world for these essential products. assets.”

Several U.S. government assessments have found that the United States is lagging behind in the development of polar icebreakers, behind rival Arctic nations Russia and China, which have sought to identify themselves as a ” nation near the Arctic. The lack of polar icebreakers has been identified as a problem for the country. Currently, the United States has only two icebreakers in service. Other projects to build new icebreakers have faced repeated delays. A recent assessment of the country’s needs for missions and objectives in the Arctic and Antarctic revealed that the government needed at least four heavy and medium icebreakers.

“It’s definitely a crisis right now, but it’s something that’s been decades in the making,” said Rebecca Pincus, director of the Wilson Center’s Polar Institute. Washington Times earlier this year. “We are currently at a point where the United States has fewer icebreakers than China.”

The Arctic region is often referred as one of the last frontiers on the planet. Global warming in the region has led to increased areas of melting sea ice, which has exposed new areas available to access valuable resources and made accessible transportation routes that were once too frozen to travel. This has led to renewed competition in the region, with many countries vying to take advantage of these new opportunities.

“We are seeing some of the most assertive, even aggressive, actions from potential adversaries who are really leaning forward in the Arctic,” said Bill Blair, The Minister of Defense of Canada. “The region is facing new challenges and potentially new threats, and that really requires us to respond appropriately. »

“The United States is an Arctic nation and the Coast Guard is essential to ensuring a presence in our sovereign waters and polar regions,” said Adm. Kevin Monday, vice commander of the Coast Guard. “The acquisition of a commercially available polar icebreaker will allow the Coast Guard to increase our national presence in the Arctic.

“By jointly developing and producing world-class Arctic and polar icebreakers, we are laying the foundation for a resilient and competitive shipbuilding industry capable of meeting domestic and global demand for these critical assets,” he said. announced the DHS in a press release. release. “This arrangement underscores our collective commitment to peace, stability and prosperity in the Arctic and Polar regions, and demonstrates the strength of allied cooperation to address strategic challenges. »

“Each of our countries recognizes the need to strengthen our Arctic and polar icebreaking capabilities in order to assert our collective presence in the Arctic and Antarctic regions,” DHS said. “Building these specialized vessels at a faster pace, on a larger scale and at competitive costs is a shared priority as we maintain safety and security in these strategically important areas. »

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The Memorandum of Understanding agreement to facilitate the construction of icebreakers was one of the key initiatives outlined in the Icebreaker Collaborative Effort (ICE) Compact. President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Jack Trudeau and Finnish President Alexander Stubb agreed to the partnership at the NATO summit in Washington, DC, in July.

“As part of this trilateral agreement, the polar icebreaker construction capacity and know-how of Canada, Finland and the United States will help provide a fleet of new polar icebreakers for us- ourselves, our allies and other partners,” we can read in a press release. White House press release at the time.