Finland: America’s Cold Weapon in the Arctic War
Finland: America’s Cold Weapon in the Arctic War
Saeed Aganji, editor of Irangate News Agency, explores the various dimensions of the new competition between the United States and its rivals in the Arctic. As the Arctic ice melts faster than ever before, the global powers’ competition in this frozen expanse has reached a boiling point.
The United States, once a leader in maritime exploration, now finds itself in the midst of a new and dangerous competition led by Russia and China with their massive icebreaker fleets. With a worn-out and insufficient fleet, America is compelled to engage in unprecedented cooperation with Finland to re-enter the game.
Competition on the Edge of Ice: The United States’ Major Challenge in the Arctic
The United States faces an increasing threat to its national security in the north. The Arctic, once a remote and frozen frontier, is rapidly becoming a new stage for geopolitical competition, and Washington is not yet adequately prepared to participate.
While Russia possesses a fleet of over 40 polar icebreakers and China is expanding its capabilities with four active icebreakers and a fifth under construction, the United States has only three icebreakers.
Among these three, only one, the Polar Star, is a heavy and true icebreaker, an old ship kept operational mostly by the ingenuity of engineers and worn-out spare parts.
This imbalance is striking not only in terms of numbers but also in strategic reach. However, a direct comparison with Russia is not entirely fair, as Moscow has an extensive northern coastline and numerous ports and shipping routes to maintain its permanent presence in the Arctic.
But China’s situation is a different story. Although Beijing is not considered a polar country, it has managed to surpass Washington in developing icebreaking capabilities, a clear sign of its ambitions to expand influence in northern regions.
This gap is a clear warning bell for America’s national security. As Arctic ice thins and new maritime routes open, countries prepared to navigate these cold waters will shape the region’s future, from trade and energy to defense.
Meanwhile, with a small and worn-out fleet, the United States can only watch. However, Washington’s recent agreement with Finland to build a new fleet of icebreakers may be the opportunity America needs to revive its polar capabilities.
A Small but Worn-out Fleet
The U.S. Coast Guard operates the entire fleet of the country’s polar icebreakers, a trio that can be described as respectable but inadequate. The Polar Star, commissioned in 1976, is the only active heavy icebreaker and is mostly involved in Antarctic missions.
The Healy, a medium icebreaker launched in 1999, primarily undertakes research and patrol duties in the Arctic. The Storis, a former supply ship recently acquired and refurbished for polar operations, is vital, but all three operate beyond their capacity.
To keep the Polar Star in service, Coast Guard engineers are forced to cannibalize parts from its sister ship, the Polar Sea, which was decommissioned years ago. The Healy also required major repairs after a significant fire in 2020 and a technical failure in 2024, costs that have stretched the Coast Guard’s maintenance budget to the brink. Even in a hypothetical scenario with full funding, maintaining this fleet’s operational capability is challenging.
The arrival of the Storis temporarily resolves part of the issue but at a high cost. This ship, designed for supply missions, requires substantial modifications to operate in the Arctic: hull reinforcement, propulsion system upgrades, and the addition of ice-class technology. These modifications are made during compressed intervals between operational patrols, a solution that saves time but increases costs and crew training complexity. The result is a usable but incomplete ship, a one-off design that falls short of a full operational class standard.
Internal Coast Guard estimates indicate that to effectively meet operational needs in both poles, the United States requires eight to nine icebreakers, a mix of heavy and medium ships.
Heavy icebreakers are essential for navigating perennial ice and operations in deep waters, while medium icebreakers are more agile and cost-effective, suitable for coastal patrols and rescue missions.
However, none of these plans are proceeding as scheduled. The Polar Security Cutter (PSC) project, intended to build three new heavy icebreakers, has effectively stalled. The first ship of this program, initiated in 2019 with a target delivery in 2024, is still in the design phase.
Costs have risen from $1.9 billion to over $5 billion, and the completion timeline is uncertain. The complementary medium icebreaker program existed only on paper until recently.
Turning to Finland
In such circumstances, America has turned to Finland. President Donald Trump recently signed a historic agreement with Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb to build up to eleven new icebreakers in collaboration with the Finnish shipbuilding industry.
This decision, pragmatic in appearance, is symbolically ironic. The man who championed ‘Make America Great Again’ is now entrusting one of his country’s most critical maritime projects to Europe. Nonetheless, Trump and his advisors have prioritized speed over symbolism.
At the signing ceremony, he announced, ‘We are buying the best icebreakers in the world, and Finland is unparalleled in building them.’
The statement is not unfounded. In a country where all its coasts freeze in winter, survival has always depended on the ability to maintain navigation. Finland became a pioneer in this field in the 1930s with the construction of its first diesel-electric icebreaker.
Relying on precise engineering and a domestic supply chain, Finnish shipyards today produce the most advanced icebreakers globally, ships that were even sold to the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
According to the agreement, four Arctic Security Cutter class icebreakers will be built in Finnish factories, utilizing local technology and expertise. The design and technical knowledge will then be transferred to the U.S. to produce up to seven more ships under an accelerated timeline on American soil.
Bollinger Shipyards in Louisiana, one of the Coast Guard’s main contractors, will handle domestic production, collaborating with Canada’s Seaspan and two Finnish builders, Rauma Marine Constructions and Aker Arctic Technology.
The first three ships will be built simultaneously in Finland and the U.S., with delivery expected within three years of the official contract start.
Each of these icebreakers is about 360 feet long and can continuously break through ice three feet thick at a speed of three knots. Their nautical range is 12,000 nautical miles, and their mission duration exceeds 60 days without refueling. They are equipped with a flight deck and helicopter hangar and are designed for a range of missions, from defense and research to rescue and law enforcement. Additionally, they are fully compatible with the new Canadian Coast Guard fleet and can form the largest and most cohesive icebreaking network in the world. The estimated total program cost is around $6.1 billion.
For the Coast Guard, this project is more than an industrial contract; it’s a kind of generational renewal. The first Finnish-built ships will solidify America’s essential presence in the Arctic, and the technology transfer will enhance the capacity to build future ships on U.S. soil.
This cooperation under the ICE agreement, a trilateral pact between the U.S., Canada, and Finland, represents a new model for industrial collaboration among Western allies.
The Race for the Arctic
Behind this industrial diplomacy lies an undeniable reality: the Arctic is rapidly transforming. As the ice retreats, new routes are opening that reduce the distance between Europe and Asia by thousands of miles. Vast reserves of oil, gas, and minerals lie beneath the ice, and global powers are competing for access.
Meanwhile, military presence is increasing. Russia has strengthened its bases in the north, and China, as a ‘near-Arctic state,’ is expanding its research missions and seabed mapping in the region.
Just a month ago, two Chinese research vessels patrolled an area of the seabed claimed by the U.S. near Alaska, prompting the Coast Guard to dispatch the Healy for monitoring.
Such provocations are likely to increase as the ice melts, and time for Washington to make decisions is limited.
Cooperation with Finland may be a temporary solution, but it sends a clear message: the United States intends to return as an active player, not a spectator, on the Arctic stage. Whether these projects will be completed on time and within budget remains an unanswered question.
But one undeniable truth remains: the ice is melting, and time is relentlessly passing.
