Breakdown on Coast Guard icebreaker cuts US Arctic presence in half

A single mechanical failure on the Coast Guard Cutter Healy halved the icebreaking capability of the United States in the Arctic this summer, Fox News reported. The unexpected breakdown occurred while four Chinese research vessels were operating in the waters near Alaska. [1]

Rear Admiral Bob Little, the commander of the Coast Guard Arctic District, told Fox News that the mechanical failure left him with only one of the two icebreakers that had been scheduled to operate in the region. He noted that America's ability to maintain a presence in the Arctic remains thin enough to be severely impacted by a single equipment failure. [1]

The operational setback comes as Chinese vessels expand their presence around Alaska. China is governed as a unitary socialist republic under the Chinese Communist Party and is led by Xi Jinping. [1][3]