The U.S. Can't Break the (Arctic) Ice || July 28, 2026
Despite the growing importance of the Arctic, the U.S. continues to move further away from a sustainable operating plan.
The USCGC Healy broke down during sea trials, and the Polar Star is undergoing its own refit, which leaves the U.S. with one operational icebreaker. Clearly there is a hole in U.S. Arctic strategy, and attempting to plug it with the goodwill of Canada and Finland (given strained relations) might leave the U.S without a long-term solution.
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Comments (35)
What about the Nuke Subs?
For more on this issue, please see the following: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/climate/trump-arctic-ships.html?smid=nytcore-android-share
Meanwhile, in Washington, we're getting a new big beautiful ballroom, an attempt to push forward a triumphal arch, an entertainment venue covered with tarps because someone is irritated at having to remove their name, announcement to refurb an airport, and a reflection pool that reflects exactly what this administration is all about.
What if the US built a giant wooden badger...
So, I’d love for you to go much deeper on why this is a huge shit show please. I know this administration has been actively destroying our global presence but a little more in depth as to why this matters would be a huge help…
I think I also don't understand why Peter projects it would be at least 30 years before we could get an icebreaker. I would love to know what's behind that comment?Beautiful, what I take to be a sunset, by the way.
I dunno. In the end I think the Canadians know that Trump won't be around forever. And, I think the Finns would sooner burn in hell than let the Russians get a rung up on anyone and anything. However, Peter is right, this is a big mistake. The Coast Guard has the Mackinaw on the Great Lakes, but 1) perhaps it's not up to the Arctic, and 2) you need to keep the Great Lakes open during the winter regardless of what's going on in the Arctic.
How would you get the Mackinaw out of the lakes? Isn't the Niagara Falls a bit of an obstacle to that?
Does the US have a policy? Seems pretty adhoc and Trumpy baby tantrumy.
Hey, but at least we’ll have Gold-class battleships. 🙄
For anyone interested in details on the CGC Storis: https://www.mycg.uscg.mil/News/Article/4016098/coast-guard-adds-first-polar-icebreaker-to-its-fleet-in-25-years/
The Coast Guard and U.S. Navy, through an integrated program office, on April 23, 2019, awarded VT Halter Marine Inc., of Pascagoula, Mississippi, a fixed price incentive (firm) contract for the detail, design and construction of the lead PSC. Construction on the first PSC is planned to begin in 2025 at Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding, which took ownership of the former VT Halter Marine Shipyard.
Planned to begin in 2025? Sounds like the kind of current info AI supplies...
We are not going to invade Iceland, pure hyperbole....... We will either rent of buy it.
I doubt the 400,000 residents would be the least bit interested
I'll bet the Russkies build really good icebreakers. Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge.
Peter did a piece on Russian Ice Breakers. They cannot make anymore because they get their parts from Finland.
At least it’s a bipartisan collapse in American power!
Once again, private equity defeats the United States… When will we choose the United States over private corporate profit?
The Great American Diminishment under Republican Governance continues to find new ways to be in effect.
It was the Dems who shorted the defense budget and our industrial base in favor of social welfare spending and conversion to a service economy. Trump is trying to bring them back
Good
Peter, how does this factor in? https://www.bollingershipyards.com/news/bollinger-shipyards-signs-contract-to-build-four-u-s-coast-guard-arctic-security-cutters/ Seems at least parts of the replacement ships are assembled domestically?
The billion spent on trumpf Farce 1 would have been better spent on a new ice breaker
I’m currently reading “Red Arctic: Russian Strategy Under Putin” and “Unfrozen: The Fight for the Future of the Arctic” on this topic.
What if we inject some testosterone into it ? Would it work then ?
Luckily Russia is a bit preoccupied for the moment.
We do have the Mackinaw ice breaker in the Great Lakes
This is the consequences of decades of structural underinvestment and lack of long term industrial policies as everyone optimizes for short term gains.
Where were you in Colorado in this video? It’s lovely, rather Elysian.
Seems like threatening 2 of your most loyal allies was a bad idea! Who would've thought :o
Buy or lease icebreakers from Russia.
LOL
Well, Arctic warfare is not a speciality of the US. During the big exercise on Iceland a few years ago the locals were laughing because the US forces weren't able to pitch their tents properly in the local breeze. One can jokingly say the last time the US saw Arctic combat was in Tom Clancy's "Red Storm Rising". I'd prefer dog sleds over anything else in Greenland, BTW.
I thought Mr. Vanilla was on the Team MAGA, can’t he do it?