Cruz and Coast Guard say China, Russia beating U.S. in Arctic

“The U.S. is an Arctic nation because of the state of Alaska … our first line of defense in the high north leading into the Arctic. While Galveston, Texas, may be thousands of miles from the Arctic Circle, let me be clear, the defense of our northern border and approaches in the Arctic Ocean begins with” new U.S. Coast Guard Arctic Security Cutters being built in Texas, Lunday said. 

Davie Defense America, backed by Davie Shipbuilding in Canada and Helsinki Shipyard in Finland, is constructing the ASCs in Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas, The Center Square reported. Its parent company, Inocea Group, acquired the historic Gulf Copper shipyard in Gulf ports last December. Gulf Copper has been integral to shipbuilding in the Gulf for more than 75 years. 

The Coast Guard currently only has three operational polar icebreakers, including only one heavy icebreaker, the Polar Star, commissioned in 1976. It costs more to maintain than it did to acquire it, Lunday said. By contrast, Russia operates a fleet of more than 50 polar icebreakers; China operates five, he said. 

The admiral also described a real threat. “Last summer, as a clear demonstration of our resolve, three Coast Guard cutters intercepted and chased away five Chinese research vessels operating in the outer continental shelf in the Arctic North of Alaska. We're actively countering challenges to U.S. sovereignty there, working alongside our allies, but we cannot protect our sovereign interests unless we are … operating continuously” in the Arctic.

Last year, President Donald Trump and Congress allocated more than $25 billion to modernize the U.S. Coast Guard, The Center Square reported.

The new icebreaker facility in Galveston will “transform our service into a more agile, capable and responsive force, permanently returning heavy icebreaking expertise to American shipbuilders," Lunday said.

Cruz, R-Texas, authored the section of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to ensure the funds were allocated to the Coast Guard. The senator also fought for the ships to be built in Texas. Funds will support the construction of 11 ASCs overall, with some ships being built in Louisiana and Finland with a completion date of 2028.

The $25 billion to revamp the Coast Guard is “the single largest investment in the Coast Guard in the history of America,” said Cruz, who was among the speakers at a the shipbuilding ceremony.

When asked about the U.S. being outnumbered nearly 50 to 1 by Russian ships, Cruz told The Center Square, “The numbers are staggering. Going into last year, we were losing in the Arctic. Russia has invested in a very major way. China is investing in a very major way. Frankly, it was a bipartisan failure that went back several administrations of the United States not investing adequately in the Arctic.”

“I'm sorry to tell you, right now, both China and Russia are kicking our [expletive] in the Arctic,” Cruz said. “That is not acceptable. The Arctic is too critical for national defense, for natural resources for keeping America safe. My focus over and over and over again is on beating China. And with this funding, we are now going to be investing billions of dollars in building polar ice cutters here in the United States of America.”

The Arctic presents a major national security threat when considering any future military conflict, he explained. “There's a very real possibility if intercontinental ballistic missiles were fired at the United States, they would go over the Arctic and reach American cities. 

“The Arctic is critical for missile defense for early response, but also for intercept systems to prevent a missile from striking a U.S. city. America needs to be able to defend ourselves," Cruz said.

It’s also critical to protect Alaska’s natural resources of oil and natural gas, he said. “It’s why the Russians and the Chinese are playing there. We're seeing more and more submarines, more and more ice cutters in the Arctic, and we can't allow American national defense to be vulnerable.”

Alex Vicefield, chairman and CEO of Inocea Group, said, “America built the fleets that secure the oceans, protected commerce and shaped the modern world.”

Under Trump, shipbuilding is expanding, according to the speakers at the shipbuilding ceremony.

Vicefield has warned that national security threats in the Arctic were “becoming existential.” Last year, he pointed to shipping disruptions in the Red Sea, “which by the way, make Arctic sea routes look a lot more attractive.” Since then, shipping routes have been halted in the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict continues. 

“A few years ago, you would hear some people saying do we really need ships anymore? Well, no one is saying that now. Amongst Canada’s allies everyone is extremely serious about making sure that the West and NATO are ready for what is inevitably coming. Russia, Iran, China, North Korea and others pose a well-defined threat,” he told Canadian Defence Review. 

In November 2023, Davie Shipbuilding purchased Helsinki Shipyard — the world leader in constructing Arctic icebreakers, previously owned by the Russian government.

“The importance of ships and domestic, strategic shipbuilding capabilities has never been more clear. Defense procurement is no longer a contingency, and we have to get serious about bringing the right capability quickly and cost-effectively,” Vicefield said. 

Now through a new Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE Pact) among the U.S., Finland and Canada, Arctic defense is advancing.