The United States is looking to pull ahead of China in the race to navigate the Arctic, according to a Department of Homeland Security document, and warns that a shortage of U.S. shipbuilders could hamper the effort.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a document titled "The Icebreaker Collaboration Effort U.S. National Workforce Development Plan" that in 2025, there was an "unprecedented" number of Chinese military and research vessels in the Arctic, operating in or near U.S. waters.
“China’s continued expansion of its icebreaking fleet poses a potential challenge to U.S. maritime sovereignty if future Chinese operations fall outside legal parameters,” according to a document outlining the U.S. policy and workforce development on Icebreakers, a ship that is able to cut through frozen ice.
The Department of Homeland Security says it has a plan to tackle the shortage of shipbuilders in the U.S.
The Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security have prioritized funding and building icebreakers to compete with countries like China.
“The Arctic and polar regions are increasingly critical to U.S. national security, economic prosperity and global leadership, especially as other nations expand their capabilities in these locations,” Robert Law, who serves as under secretary of strategy, policy and plans at DHS said in the document adding that the administration has a plan “national workforce plan” to build ships domestically and work with Canada and Finland to secure the Arctic.
Law says the plan will support U.S. “security, growth and leadership” in the Arctic through public and private partnerships.
The U.S. Coast Guard, which has jurisdiction over Arctic waters, commissioned the icebreaker “USCG Cutter Storis,” which is the first polar icebreaker acquired in over 25 years.
“The USCG requires additional modern vessels to effectively secure U.S. polar interests in the 21st century,” the report says.
There are some challenges, according to the report, mainly a labor shortage of U.S. shipbuilders, and that China is undercutting the U.S. in shipbuilding.
The Department of Homeland Security said that recruiting shipbuilders in the U.S. "will require a coordinated effort.”
"Expanding current efforts and commitments to the education and training of the industries involved in icebreaker shipbuilding will ensure success,” the plan says. "The United States Government should consider a holistic approach that focuses on strengthening existing programs, expanding stakeholder dialogue, exploring new initiatives, and recommending the establishment of new programs when identified.”