America's ability to maintain a presence in the Arctic remains thin enough that a single mechanical failure cut the Coast Guard's icebreaking capability in the region in half this summer. And the breakdown comes as Chinese vessels are expanding their activity around Alaska. Bob Little, commander of the Coast Guard's Arctic District, told Fox News Digital the failure of Coast Guard Cutter Healy left him with just one of two icebreakers that had been slated to operate in the ice.
Meanwhile four Chinese research vessels were operating in the region. "Healy's unexpected mechanical failure cut in half my capability to operate up in the ice," Little said. ARCTIC POWER PLAY GIVES TOP US ADVERSARY NEW OPENING WITH RUSSIA AS US STAKES GROW The shortfall comes as the U.S. faces a growing need to maintain a presence in waters that can take days to reach.
Chinese research vessels are gaining experience in the Arctic and collecting data that can also have military applications, including for submarine operations, while Russia's much larger icebreaker fleet gives Moscow greater ability to move ships and supplies through the region. The Coast Guard is now racing to add ships, aircraft and surveillance capabilities as shrinking sea ice opens more of the Arctic to navigation. But its next generation of icebreakers is still years away.
"I can't get those icebreakers soon enough, given the operational environment," Little said. Little said nearly $25 billion in recent funding will support 11 new Arctic Security Cutters, with the first expected to arrive in the region as early as 2028. The buildup comes as the Coast Guard's operating area is effectively growing.
Declining sea ice is opening more navigable water around Alaska, bringing more commercial and military activity into areas that were once harder to reach. "As that new operational area becomes accessible, we see an increase in human activity for economic development, for military advancement," Little said. "And that activity is creating a need for additional Coast Guard mission." China has become an increasingly regular presence in those waters.
Little said Chinese research activity has grown from as few as one vessel appearing episodically in the Arctic to five last year, while four operated there this year. Those vessels are not necessarily violating international rules. The Coast Guard Cutter Munro recently returned from a 112-day Arctic patrol that included monitoring Chinese research ships, and Little said the Coast Guard did not observe activity on the surface that fell outside customary law or international norms.
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