Coast Guard could triple base size on Seattle waterfront as U.S. ramps up Arctic presence By Hal Bernton, The Seattle Times
Published: May 12, 2021, 8:00am
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The U.S. Coast Guard is proposing a renovation and expansion of its Seattle waterfront base that during the next decade will be home to three new icebreakers, and probably other vessels.
The Coast Guard’s aging Seattle operations hub supports Pacific Northwest and polar missions. It will have a higher profile role in the coming years as the U.S. ramps up its presence in an Arctic region rapidly changing as the climate warms.
USNI News
Schultz: Nuclear Icebreakers Are Not An Option for Coast Guard
January 13, 2021 7:17 PM
A starboard view of the anchored US Coast Guard icebreaker POLAR STAR (WAGB 10). Coast Guard Photo
The Coast Guard will not pursue nuclear-powered icebreakers, despite previous White House requests that the service assess the possibility, its top officer said Wednesday.
Speaking at the Surface Navy Association’s annual symposium, Coast Guard commandant Adm. Karl Schultz said the service and the Navy discuss what kind of icebreaking capability the sea services require, but that a nuclear-powered icebreaker is not possible for the U.S.
“We’ve moved off the nuclear-powered breaker. That capability – the ability to operate that in the Coast Guard – that just doesn’t exist nor can we build out to that with all the demands on our plate,” Schultz said.
USNI News
Top Stories 2020: U.S. Coast Guard
January 4, 2021 7:05 AM
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew based out of Air Station Kodiak and deployed aboard Cutter Alex Haley, prepares for a helicopter in-flight refueling at sea evolution with the cutter crew during a search and rescue case near Dutch Harbor, Alaska, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. US Coast Guard Photo
This post is part of a series of stories looking back at the top naval news from 2020.
This year saw the Coast Guard conducting numerous counter-drug operations as the Trump administration increased its focus on anti-drug missions in U.S. Southern Command.
As each service grappled with how to handle the coronavirus pandemic, the Coast Guard continued its narcotics seizures in U.S. Southern Command.