President Donald J. Trump
The White House
Fact Sheets

Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Authorizes Construction of Arctic Security Cutters

The White House

GROWING OUR ARCTIC FLEET: President Donald J. Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum to authorize the construction of up to four Arctic Security Cutters (ASCs) abroad to address urgent national security needs in the Arctic region.

  • The Memorandum invokes the President’s authority under 14 U.S.C. 1151(b) and 10 U.S.C. 8679(b) to permit foreign construction as a national security necessity.
  • It directs the U.S. Coast Guard to submit a plan for phasing ASC construction in a manner that promotes the on-shoring of expertise to build follow-on ASCs domestically.
  • In line with this decision, the President has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Finland to construct these four ASCs in shipyards located in Finland, followed by the leveraging of Finnish expertise to construct up to seven new ASCs in shipyards located in the United States.
  • The United States and Finland will engage in close collaboration to enhance the ASC fleet of the United States on an accelerated schedule, to revitalize the shipbuilding industry of both countries.

BOLSTERING ARCTIC DEFENSE: This Memorandum addresses growing strategic competition, aggressive military posturing, and economic encroachment by foreign adversaries, all of which threaten U.S. interests in the Arctic.

  • The U.S. Coast Guard’s fleet of ASCs and Arctic-capable vessels is insufficient to meet current operations demands and presents a national security risk.
  • Currently, the Coast Guard’s operational polar fleet includes just two operational ASCs: One was commissioned in 1976; the other was previously a commercial vessel and commissioned into the Coast Guard just last month.  The Coast Guard assesses that at least 9 ASCs are needed in order to serve our national security needs year-round in the Arctic.
  • Adversaries’ aggressive military and economic actions in the Arctic jeopardize U.S. sovereignty, shipping lanes, and energy resources.
  • Foreign construction of ASCs is a temporary measure to bridge a critical capability gap while spurring future domestic shipbuilding investment that will ensure the Coast Guard has the full supply of cutters it requires.
  • The deals with Finnish shipyards will create great jobs for Americans, bring cutting-edge shipbuilding intellectual property to the United States, and result in billions of dollars of new investments in America.
  • These ships, most of which will eventually be made in America, will be among the most modern icebreaking vessels in the world.

ADVANCING OUR NATIONAL SECURITY INTERESTS: President Trump is ensuring the United States has the robust defense capabilities needed to protect American interests against global threats, particularly in the Arctic.

  • In his first term, President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum to speed up the U.S. icebreaker program.
  • In August, the U.S. Coast Guard added an ASC to its fleet for the first time in 25 years—the first in a series of ASCs expected to join the Coast Guard in the near future.
  • President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill includes nearly $9 billion to build a series of heavy, medium, and light ASCs.
  • President Trump: “We need icebreakers in the U.S. And if we can get some inexpensively, I’d like to do that.”
  • President Trump is restoring America’s status as a great Arctic power after previous administrations allowed our ships and arctic capacity to rust and decay.