Why Big America Needs Little Finland's Help in the Arctic
The U.S. lost the muscle memory to build icebreakers for its Arctic security and interests. So it turned to NATO ally Finland.
The United States is grappling with a lack of expertise and technology in building icebreakers, a crucial necessity for its presence in the Arctic, according to a scathing Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. Despite commissioning the first heavy icebreakers seven years ago, the first of the three planned ships may not be ready until 2033.
Canada, however, is making significant strides with a new $11 billion program to build six icebreakers for its Coast Guard, with the first ship expected by 2032. Finland, a small European ally, is stepping in to help the U.S., with work already underway on the first of four new Finnish-built icebreakers for the U.S. that are expected to be operational by the end of 2028.
Finland's expertise in icebreaker construction is born out of necessity, given that all of its ports regularly freeze over every winter. The U.S. has a small presence in the Arctic, with only about two operational icebreakers, compared to Russia's dozens and China's half-a-dozen. Despite this, the U.S. is falling behind in its Arctic capabilities, with the Arctic Security Cutter program being one of the more sensible initiatives currently.
Written by urgent.news from Newsweek's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
