Coast Guard Cooperation in the Arctic: USCGC Healy's Continental Shelf Mission
2011
Krause, Michael | Berkson, Jonathan
Published in Coast Guard Proceedings, p58-60, Spring 2011.
Show more [+] Less [-]In recent years, our nation's Arctic economic, environmental, and security interests have escalated as reduced ice extent provides increased accessibility to the Arctic. Various other Arctic nations seized opportunities to submit territorial claims and retain potential fuel and marine resources. As commercial interests plan for offshore drilling, this raises the specter of marine environmental pollution and spills of national significance. Additionally, it is no longer uncommon for passenger and commercial cargo vessels to venture into the Arctic, navigating in relatively uncharted waters, far from disaster assistance. For the last 140 years, the Coast Guard has placed itself at the forefront of Arctic operations as icebreakers and ice-strengthened cutters from the Revenue Cutter Bear to USCGC Healy conducted law enforcement, community outreach, regional exploration, defense operations, research support, and search and rescue missions. Over the past few decades, primary icebreaker operations shifted from traditional Coast Guard missions to focus more on polar region scientific support as well as ship escorts and channel breakouts for Thule Air Force Base in Greenland and McMurdo Station in Antarctica. As the need for traditional Coast Guard mission support in the polar regions re-emerges, icebreakers will prove invaluable in supporting national polar interests.
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