Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress

O' ; Rourke, Ronald

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.

关键词: Defense policy;    Coast guard - U.S.;    Transportation;    Ships;    Environmental protection;   

RP-ID  :  RL34391
RP-ID  :  RL34391_2010Sep29

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

Coast Guard polar icebreakers perform a variety of missions supporting U.S. interests in polar regions. The Coast Guard's two heavy polar icebreakers - Polar Star and Polar Sea - haveexceeded their intended 30-year service lives. Following a decision to design and build one or more new polar icebreakers, the first replacement polar icebreaker might enter service in eight to 10 years, by which time Polar Star and Polar Sea could be more than 40 years old. The issue for Congress is whether to approve, reject, or modify Coast Guard plans for modernizing its polar icebreakers. Congressional decisions on this issue could affect the Coast Guard's ability to perform its polar missions, Coast Guard funding requirements, and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base.