The U.S. Coast Guard will receive 11 cutting-edge polar icebreakers, with most being built in the U.S., in a partnership with Canada and Finland to help defend the Arctic against adversaries like China and Russia.
On Tuesday, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem joined Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., and Finland’s Minister of Economic Affairs Sakari Puisto to sign a joint statement of intent to bolster their icebreaker fleets by strengthening industrial cooperation.
Speaking at DHS headquarters in Washington, Ms. Noem said the joint Icebreaker Collaboration Effort, better known as the ICE Pact, is more than just a symbolic agreement with allies.
“It’s delivering tangible results for all our countries,” Ms. Noem said. “It’s powering our economy, and it’s strengthening our Arctic defense. It’s bringing us one step closer to rebuilding our icebreaker fleet.”
The U.S. currently has three polar icebreakers: the heavy icebreaker USCGC Polar Star; the USCGC Healy, a medium icebreaker; and the USCGC Storis, a commercial vessel that was purchased in December 2024.
As part of the deal, Finland and Canada agreed to invest in U.S. shipyards and train American workers on the unique job skills required for a specialized project like a polar icebreaker. In September 2025, the Canadian shipbuilder Davie announced a $1 billion plan to acquire Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Corporation, a company with facilities in Port Arthur and Galveston, Texas, for building icebreakers.
Ms. Noem said four of the icebreakers will be built in Finland, while the remaining seven will be built in the U.S. The first two are under construction.
“The expertise that Finland and their workforce can bring to us is incredibly powerful, as well as the partnership with Canada,” Ms. Noem said. “They will continue construction while they train our workforce.”
Mr. Puisto of Finland said the ICE Pact has been forged “in the harshest of environments,” noting that the High North is not the easiest area to operate in. It is a frontier defined by overwhelming beauty and pristine nature, but it is also uncompromising and demanding.
“Navigating ice is not merely a technical feat. It is our heritage, ingrained in our culture for more than a century,” he said. “It began as a requirement for survival and trade. If our ports froze, our economy froze.”
The Coast Guard is receiving a nearly $25 billion investment through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is the largest funding commitment in its history. Sen. Dan Sullivan, Alaska Republican, said additional icebreakers will account for a large portion of the amount.
“When your cutters are 50 years old and your helicopters are 45 years old and you don’t have icebreakers to protect the country, you can’t do more with less,” he said.
Mr. Sullivan attended Tuesday’s signing ceremony and told The Washington Times that the new icebreakers should be based in his home state.
“That’s where the Russians and the Chinese are. We’ve had six Russian incursions in Alaska’s airspace since August,” he said. “We need to build these fast. There is a lot of action in my state.”
Mr. Sullivan said the Arctic was considered a “strategic afterthought” when he arrived in Washington a decade ago.
“The Pentagon didn’t think about it and the Coast Guard didn’t think about it,” he said. “The Alaska delegation [in Congress] pressed it. The icebeakers were thought of as some sort of earmark for Alaska, but that’s ridiculous. [They] are critical for the national security of America.”
