Trump sidesteps US yards for foreign-built Arctic Security Cutters
The Arctic could be the next frontier of global conflict (Source: Bollinger)
President Donald Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum authorising the foreign construction of up to four Arctic Security Cutters (ASCs) to address urgent national security needs in the Arctic.
Under the Memorandum, the US will collaborate with Finland to construct the vessels in Finnish shipyards, followed by domestic production of up to seven additional ASCs in the US. The decision invokes national security exemptions under 14 U.S.C. 1151(b) and 10 U.S.C. 8679(b).
The move aims to strengthen Arctic defence capabilities amid increasing strategic competition and limited US icebreaking capacity. The US Coast Guard currently operates only two ASCs, one of which entered service earlier this year.
“These ships - most of which will eventually be made in America - will be among the most modern icebreakers in the world,” the administration stated. The collaboration is also expected to spur US shipbuilding investment, create jobs, and transfer key shipbuilding expertise from Finland to US yards.
