Coast Guard looks to expand Seattle base as US ramps up Arctic presence The Associated Press May 13 In this Nov. 30, 2018, file photo tugboats help the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy icebreaker into her homeport of Seattle, as a Washington state ferry passes in the background following a four-month deployment to the Arctic Ocean. (Ted S. Warren/AP) SEATTLE 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. The Seattle Times reports the Coast Guard 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.
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Home » Budget Industry » Schultz: Coast Guard Units Remain in High Demand as Forces Stretches to Meet Needs
Schultz: Coast Guard Units Remain in High Demand as Forces Stretches to Meet Needs
March 15, 2021 2:40 PM
Adm. Karl Schultz, the commandant of the Coast Guard, speaks during the 2021 State of the Coast Guard Address in San Diego March 11, 2021. US Coast Guard Photo
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Coast Guard remains in big demand at home and overseas as it continues to modernize the service and develop its force, the service’s top officer said in an annual address last week.
US Navy rolls out new strategy for expanding Arctic operations The Associated Press January 11 The USS Toledo (SSN-769) arrives at Ice Camp Seadragon on the Arctic Ocean on March 4, 2020, kicking off Ice Exercise (ICEX) 2020. (MC1 Michael B. Zingaro/US Navy) JUNEAU, Alaska The U.S. Department of the Navy released details of a new strategy for operations in the Arctic as competition for resources among nations increases in the region. Members of Alaska’s congressional delegation have expressed support for the increased focus on the Arctic, the Juneau Empire reported Saturday. The Navy statement titled “A Blue Arctic” provides an outline of planned operational changes for the military’s sea services in and around Alaska, including the Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps.
Multinational cooperation could accelerate US defense capabilities in the polar regions Chris Bassler December 15, 2020 Paratroopers participate in U.S. Northern Command s Exercise Arctic Edge 20 at the Donnelly drop zone in Fort Greely, Alaska, on Feb. 29, 2020. (Staff Sgt. Diana Cossaboom/U.S. Air Force) In the fall of 2020, the United States, Canada, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden signed a ground-breaking defense agreement: the International Cooperative Engagement Program for Polar Research. ICE-PPR is the first multilateral effort specifically focused on cooperation in high-latitude, cold weather locations across the globe and is a direct response to the rise of great power competition in polar regions.
Congress OKs new Arctic icebreakers for Coast Guard The Associated Press December 15, 2020 Two Coast Guardsmen and a scientist walk on the frozen Arctic Sea from the Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB-20) to conduct an ice survey Oct. 2, 2018, about 715 miles north of Barrow, Alaska. (NyxoLyno Cangemi/U.S. Coast Guard) ANCHORAGE, Alaska Congress has passed a bill authorizing the addition of Coast Guard Polar Security Cutters for use as icebreakers, and an Alaska senator said the Trump administration is considering leasing an icebreaker owned by a Republican donor. The Coast Guard has two icebreakers, but only one is operating following an August fire that damaged the USS Healy. Ongoing construction work on a new icebreaker is not expected to be finished until 2024.