Full production of a new polar security cutter for the U.S. Coast Guard was recently approved by the Department of Homeland Security. This initiative is aimed at enhancing shipbuilding and maritime security as the U.S. looks to address increasing competition in the Arctic region.
The new vessel will be the first heavy polar icebreaker constructed in the U.S. in nearly five decades and will be built by Bollinger Shipyards. Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards, described the approval as “a historic achievement not only for Bollinger Shipyards but also for American shipbuilding.”
The U.S. Coast Guard currently has one heavy polar icebreaker, the USCGC Polar Star, and one medium polar icebreaker, the USCGC Healy. Notably, the USCGC Healy was rendered inactive due to an electrical fire in July 2022, and the Polar Star is approaching five decades of service.
To mitigate the shortage of operational icebreakers, the Coast Guard acquired a commercially available light polar icebreaker in December 2022, now named the USCGC Storis. This acquisition marked the first addition to the fleet in 25 years.
The recent green light for the heavy polar icebreaker comes amid growing foreign maritime activity in the Arctic, highlighted by a joint Chinese-Russian air patrol near Alaska last summer. In an executive order dated April 9, 2023, President Joe Biden called for a strategy to bolster maritime security in the Arctic, paralleling efforts to increase Coast Guard vessel production as part of a reconciliation bill under congressional consideration.
The proposed legislation includes over $9 billion in funding for Coast Guard vessel manufacturing, potentially enabling the construction of up to 30 new cutters with various capabilities, including three or more Arctic security cutters, two polar security cutters, eight heritage-class offshore patrol cutters, and up to 15 fast response cutters.
Furthermore, the legislation aims to enhance Coast Guard aviation capacity by providing resources for fixed and rotary wing aircraft and their maintenance.
These new vessels are part of a broader restructuring initiative named Force Design 2028, which the Coast Guard is currently implementing. Acting Commandant Kevin Lunday stated, “We are executing transformational change to renew the Coast Guard.” Among the proposed changes is the addition of a Coast Guard service secretary, which has already become a legislative proposal.
**About the Author:**
Zita Ballinger Fletcher has previously held positions as the editor of Military History Quarterly and Vietnam magazines, as well as the historian for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. She holds a Master’s degree with distinction in military history.
