NATO forces are falling behind Russia and China in the race to build icebreakers, ships that would be crucial in an Arctic war, a top Norwegian military official told Business Insider.
In an interview, Vice Adm. Rune Andersen, chief of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters, identified icebreakers as one of the key capability gaps that exist between NATO and its rivals in the Arctic.
Russia and China are the only two countries that are building icebreakers at scale. The West has been “falling behind” in its ability to operate fully in the Arctic compared to Moscow and Beijing, Andersen said last week.
Russia has dozens of icebreakers — roughly 40 by some estimates, far more than any other country — while China, which has increased its Arctic activity in recent years, fields around five. Moscow and Beijing plan to work together to expand that fleet.
The US, by contrast, fields just one heavy polar icebreaker along with a number of smaller vessels. The Trump administration said last year that the US Coast Guard’s fleet of Arctic-capable vessels is “insufficient to meet current operations demands and presents a national security risk.” The president also called for a dramatic boost to the overall size of the fleet.
Arctic security has become a growing focal point for NATO in recent years as Russian and Chinese activity expands. Increased competition has spotlighted the icebreaker gap.
These ships, which are purpose-built to crush ice blocking waterways, are critical in this region because they enable better movement across frozen yet strategic terrain, unlocking access to trade routes and natural resources. In a fight, they allow access to the battlespace, as well as enable logistics and support missions.
Canada, Finland, and other NATO allies add dozens of icebreakers to the Western alliance’s ice-breaking arsenal, bringing it closer to parity with Russia, but Arctic experts believe nearly a third of them are past their design life. Russia’s fleet is heavier and more specialized, built for heavy-ice operations in ways that many alliance vessels aren’t.
A NATO official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss military capabilities, told Business Insider that while Russia may have more of certain maritime platforms than the West, the country still faces readiness challenges that affect its ability to put ships to sea.
This creates “strategic dilemmas with their force projection,” the official said.
Andersen said NATO countries have acknowledged the numerical deficit in icebreakers and are making strides to close the gap.
The Trump administration, for instance, said in October that it plans to order four Arctic Security Cutters, medium icebreaking ships, from Finland and build another seven in American shipyards using Finnish expertise.
The Coast Guard assesses that it needs at least nine of those ships “to serve our national security needs year-round in the Arctic,” the White House said at the time.
Finland is the world leader in icebreaker production. Its companies have designed 80% of the world’s icebreakers, and its local shipyards have built 60% of them. Other leading countries include Canada, Russia, and China.
Cmdr. Arlo Abrahamson, a spokesperson for NATO’s Allied Maritime Command, told Business Insider that member states “are making tangible investments in icebreakers.”
“Our collective capabilities provide allied navies and coast guards the ability to operate in Arctic conditions,” he added.
Beyond the icebreakers, NATO allies are investing in other technologies and systems to improve their Arctic foothold, including additional surveillance capabilities, drones, satellites, and vehicles that can withstand cold temperatures.
Western forces have also increased the scale of their Arctic exercises to familiarize soldiers with the harsh terrain and launched new deterrence operations to strengthen their posture across the region.
Read the original article on Business Insider
The post NATO’s falling behind in the race to build icebreakers, critical tools for a war in the Arctic appeared first on Business Insider.
