US Needs New Icebreaker Fast To Face Russia, China Arctic Presence - Coast Guard Admiral

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th July, 2019) The United States needs half a dozen new icebreakers including one heavy one as soon as possible to complement its single, 40-year-old operational one in the Arctic Ocean, Coast Guard Deputy Commandant Vice Admiral Daniel Abel told a conference.

"We're looking to get at least six icebreakers, three of them heavy: Our lone icebreaker is the Polar Star and she's 40 years old," Abel told a conference on the Impacts of an Ice-Diminishing Arctic on Naval and Maritime Operations on Thursday. "We need that [next] vessel quickly."

Abel told the conference that Russia had recently completed six new bases in the Arctic and built six new icebreakers

In June, the US Department of Defense published a report in which it prioritized a strategic approach to the Arctic to counter China and Russia's "competitive edge" in the Arctic region.

On Tuesday, US Secretary of the Army Mark Esper reiterated this concern before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing for the position of Secretary of Defense.

The United States will soon have a persistent year-round presence in the Arctic region once its new polar ice breakers are in service, National Security Adviser John Bolton said during a speech at the Coast Guard academy graduation ceremony on May 22.

Bolton added that the Coast Guard would help the United States challenge growing Russian military influence in the Arctic and push back against China's illegitimate claim to near Arctic status.

Russia has recently been stepping up its military, trade and exploration activities in the Arctic, building transport and energy infrastructure and developing the Northern Sea Route as part of Arctic's Northern Passage that links Europe and Asia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said Moscow's actions in the Arctic do not threaten anyone, noting that Russia only acts to ensure sufficient capabilities for defense.