Sal Mercogliano’s video, like the one above are generally about merchant shipping, but he occasionally touches on the Coast Guard, as he has done here. This video is a brief overview of where we are in terms of icebreakers. It avoids the usual temptation to compare the US icebreaker fleet with the number the Russians operate, but it still paints a pretty bleak picture of the current situation.
I am hoping we will start hearing some good news about the program in the near future, but we have an identified need for nine icebreakers. But there does not seem to be a sense of urgency. It seems the Coast Guard has done nothing to start procurement of the medium icebreakers we know we need. There is no reason we could not have the two programs running parallel. For instance, we could have a prototype Arctic Security Cutter built in Finland and outfitted in the US. I think we can honestly say that currently there is no US shipyard capable of taking on the project other than Bollinger, and they are already working at capacity. We can increase capacity over time, but we need some help.
I suspect the feeling is that the medium icebreaker (Arctic Security Cutter) procurement can’t begin until the heavy icebreaker (Polar Security Cutter) program is completed, but that is not necessarily the case. Sure, it would require a larger acquisitions budget, but you never know until you ask. Right now, we haven’t even done the low-cost research it would take to plan the acquisition. Particularly if the Polar Security Cutter Program is further delayed, it would be good to have medium icebreakers plans prepared so that we can accomplish something.
We have the new ICE Pact agreement with Canada and Finland. It is long past time to start the medium icebreaker procurement planning process. I’d begin by asking if we can’t do with something simpler like the Arctic Patrol Ships all the other Arctic nations are currently building.
