WASHINGTON, D.C.: The White House announced at the NATO summit this week that to counter an increasingly active Russia, the United States, Canada and Finland will build up their icebreaker fleets to bolster their defenses in the Arctic.
According to The Associated Press, Daleep Singh, the White House deputy national security adviser for international economics, said it would reinforce to adversaries Russia and China that the U.S. and allies will “doggedly pursue collaboration on industrial policy to increase our competitive edge.”
The three countries will share information on polar icebreaker production, allow workers and experts from each country to train in each other’s shipyards, and promote to allies the purchase of polar icebreakers from American, Finnish or Canadian shipyards.
Beijing has sought to tighten its relationship with Moscow even as the West has tried to economically isolate Russia in the aftermath of its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
“Without this arrangement, we would risk our adversaries developing an advantage in a specialized technology with vast geostrategic importance, which could also allow them to become the preferred supplier for countries that also have an interest in purchasing polar icebreakers,” Singh said.
According to U.S. Coast Guard data, the U.S. has only two icebreakers, and both are nearing the end of their usable life. Finland has 12 icebreakers, Canada has nine, and Russia has 36.
President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finnish President Alexander Stubb discussed the pact on the sidelines of this week’s summit.
During a talk in February at RAND, Coast Guard Vice Admiral Peter Gautier said the agency determined it needed eight to nine icebreakers.
Singh said the U.S., Canada and Finland would sign a memorandum of understanding by the end of 2024 to formalize the pact.
