US Aging Icebreaker Fleet Cannot Meet Arctic Mission Requirements - State Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th August, 2020) The United States has to improve its aging icebreaker fleet to maintain security and research interests in the Arctic,�US State Department region coordinator James DeHart told reporters on Wednesday.

"Our current icebreakers are not sufficient for the missions we would like to carry out in the long term. We want to make sure that we have the capability to operate as we need in the American Arctic," DeHart said during a telephonic press briefing. "We want to have a fleet that is available for security missions, to support search and rescue, economic activities, and science and research as well.

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DeHart said the US needs more than its current aging icebreakers, but the process of fleet development will take some time.

As it stands now, the US icebreaker fleet consists of two ships, the Polar Star, a heavy icebreaker commissioned more than 40 years ago, and the medium-duty vessel Healey that was commissioned in 1999.

On July 29, the State Department appointed DeHart to be US Coordinator for the Arctic Region. He will lead US policy-making and diplomatic engagement on Arctic-related matters with a focus on boosting security and promoting economic growth, according to the State Department.