Megabill Allocates $8.6 Billion for Coast Guard Icebreakers to Boost Arctic Presence

The U.S. Coast Guard has said it needs a fleet of eight to nine polar icebreakers to ensure access to the polar regions.
Megabill Allocates $8.6 Billion for Coast Guard Icebreakers to Boost Arctic Presence
U.S. Coast Guard Heavy Icebreaker Polar Star (WAGB 10) in Antarctica, in an undated photo. U.S. Coast Guard/Reuters
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Congress’s sweeping tax and spending bill, the House-passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, allocates more than $8.6 billion for the deployment of the Coast Guard’s icebreaker fleet in the Arctic, as the United States seeks to expand its presence in the region.
Of that funding, $4.3 billion is allocated for the procurement of heavy icebreakers—known as Polar Security Cutters—and related equipment, which will help ensure the Coast Guard’s defense readiness in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.