Prez orders review of Arctic fleet

WASHINGTON – President Trump has ordered a review of America’s requirements for icebreaking capabilities in the Arctic and Antarctic with the goal of getting a fleet in place by 2029, according to a released June 9 memo he wrote to the Defense, State, Commerce and Homeland Security departments, and Office of Management and Budget. A good portion of the work is in progress, including building a fleet of at least three heavy icebreakers. But, the remaining ships not under contract should be reviewed to maximize their uses in the polar regions. The memo calls for “an assessment of expanded operational capabilities with estimated costs” for heavy and medium Polar Security Cutters not yet contracted to specifically maximum its use and ability to support national security objectives. The directive to assess the current plan for an arctic maritime capability is the latest sign that the administration is increasingly concerned about Russian and Chinese activity in the arctic, and whether it could threaten chokepoints such as the Greenland-Iceland-UK Gap. In April 2019, the Coast Guard announced a $746M contract with VT Halter Marine of Pascagoula, Miss., for the detailed design and construction of its first PSC (formerly known as the Heavy Polar Ice Breaker). With the FY 2021 budget submission before Congress, the CG says it can fully fund a second PSC, according to a Congressional Research Service report. But the memo calls for a review of an appropriate mix of ships for the Arctic fleet, and suggests some changes to the three planned medium polar security cutters could be on the table. (Source: Defense News 06/09/20) The VT Halter Marine contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this potential 3-ship contract to more than $1.94B. The first ship delivery is scheduled for 2024. If the options are exercised, the second and third vessels are expected to be delivered in 2025 and 2027 respectively. VT Halter Marine is a subsidiary of Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd, an integrated engineering group in the aerospace, electronics, land systems and marine sectors. https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/06/09/trump-memo-demands-new-fleet-of-arctic-icebreakers-to-be-ready-by-2029/