05/24/2017
From
The Drive
May 22, 2017
Now The U.S. Coast Guard Wants
Cruise Missiles On Its Icebreakers Too
The news is yet another sign that the US is struggling
to catch up to Russia when it comes to dominating the Arctic.
By Tyler Rogoway
As Russia is building literally a new armada of new
icebreakers, ice-capable supply ships, a massive arctic
"research" submarine and icebreaker surface combatants
armed with cruise missiles, the Pentagon is now looking
at arming its relatively tiny fleet of future
icebreakers with similar weapons as well.
The revelation came during a House subcommittee on
Homeland Security hearing where Coast Guard Commandant
Admiral Paul Zukunft was discussing the service's
plans to build three new medium icebreakers, with
the first delivery occurring by 2023. A major design
study is underway now and the nature of the icebreaker's
capabilities still remain up for debate, but the
ability to add heavy weapons is something USCG is
now interested in, with the admiral stating:
“We need to look differently at what an icebreaker does...
We need to reserve space, weight and power if we need
to strap a cruise missile package on it... U.S. presence
in the Arctic is necessary for more than just power
projection; it’s a matter of national security... If
they remain unchecked, the Russians will extend their
sphere of influence to over five million square miles
of Arctic ice and water.”
The Commandant continued:
“The advantage you have when you’re building national
security cutters and now you’re making these more
affordable in the long run, you have a hot production
line... Maybe, you know, 10, 12 years from now the
world changes, but at least you’re producing these
at an affordable price, a predictable price, and on
schedule.”
Basically the idea is that with a hot icebreaker
shipbuilding line, and a shipbuilding industry that
knows how to make them, new capabilities can be
inserted into designs already in production, or
new ships could be built altogether without having
to "spin up" icebreaker construction from scratch,
which is a costly affair.
Right now there are only two active icebreakers at
the USCG's disposal and one is a 40 year old Polar
class ship that is running on parts cannibalized
from its sister ship. The other is the more modern,
but still nearly 20 year old, Healy. And these ships
have to be split between the the Arctic and Antarctica.
The National Science Foundation also charters an
icebreaker, but it is not a military ship.
The three icebreakers slated to be built in the near-
term are medium icebreakers, capable of breaking
through roughly eight feet of ice. Three heavy
icebreakers are supposedly going to be built as well,
but when or with what funds are anyone's guess. Heavy
icebreakers can smash their way though a whopping
21 feet of ice.
Russia's designs on the Arctic couldn't be more clear,
I have been reporting on it for years, and Moscow
continues building up the region with air defenses,
deep water ports, airfields and massive outposts.
They are also training their forces how to fight in
such harsh and austere conditions on an unprecedented
level. This stark reality offers a lot [of] reason
for the US not only quickly building new icebreakers,
but arming those ships with high-end weaponry,
including long-range cruise missiles. It would
also provide some sort of counterbalance, although
limited, against Russia's new Ice class icebreaking
corvettes that are capable of carrying containerized
Club-K and Kalibr missiles.
It is possible that by adding major weaponry to its
new icebreakers, including anti-ship and land-attack
missiles, as well as potent defenses, the Coast Guard
can make a better case as to utility and urgent
need for these ships. Then again, doing so will
only add to their cost, which would put even more
pressure on the Coast Guard's six new icebreaker goal.
Even if the USCG got all the new icebreakers it is
asking for and retained Healy for another couple of
decades, that would give the force seven hulls in
total. By comparison, Russia has roughly 40 icebreakers
already in service, with many more on the way.
Still, something is better than nothing, and nothing
is nearly what the USCG has right now when it comes
to its ice breaking capabilities.
URL: http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/10537/now-the-u-s-coast-guard-wants-cruise-missiles-on-its-icebreakers-too
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The news is yet another sign that the US is struggling to catch up to Russia when it comes to dominating the Arctic.
