DHS Celebrates Purchase of New Coast Guard Icebreakers as President Trump Signs Deal with Finland

The agreement will help reassert the United States' maritime dominance in the Arctic region

WASHINGTON - On Thursday, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem joined President Trump in the Oval Office as he signed a historic agreement with Finland for the United States to purchase new icebreakers - ships designed to break through and navigate ice-covered waters - critical for protecting America's interests in the Arctic.

President Trump and his Finnish counterparts - President Alexander Stubb and Prime Minister Petteri Orpo - signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Thursday for the United States to purchase Arctic Security Cutters (ASCs) for the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG).

"America has been an arctic nation for over 150 years, and we're finally acting like it under President Trump and Secretary Noem. Our adversaries continue to look to grow their presence in the arctic, equipping the Coast Guard with Arctic Security Cutters will help reassert American maritime dominance there," said Secretary Kristi Noem "Revitalizing the U.S. Coast Guard's icebreaking capabilities is crucial for our security and prosperity, and today's agreement is an important step in that direction."

"Under President's Trump leadership, this historic agreement will not only accelerate delivery of new Arctic Security Cutters but will also spur future opportunities for domestic shipbuilding," said Adm. Kevin Lunday, Acting Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. "With a strong icebreaker fleet, the Coast Guard will protect America's sovereignty and interests against global threats in the Arctic for decades to come."

Under the MOU, Finland will construct four ASCs for the U.S Coast Guard. U.S. shipyards will then build and deliver up to seven additional vessels.

With these Arctic Security Cutters (ASCs) the Coast Guard will have much greater ability to navigate and patrol frozen Arctic waters - allowing them to keep trade routes open, secure U.S. borders and maritime approaches in the region, and protect the Homeland from dangerous adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party.

This bold, new strategy leverages the deep experience and established infrastructure of an allied partner to minimize cost and schedule risks and establish the shortest feasible path to delivery so that the United States can protect vital American interests in the polar regions.

Thursday's MOU is the latest initiative that builds on the historic ICE Pact - a partnership and agreement between the United States, Finland, and Canada - that enables all three signatories to dramatically step up icebreaker development, construction, and delivery by combining their collective knowledge, resources, and expertise to secure America's arctic interests.

Since President Trump issued his Executive Order Restoring America's Maritime Dominance, Finland has strategically teamed with shipbuilders in America to grow United States' icebreaker production capacity. These strategic teaming arrangements will deliver icebreakers at-speed while creating longstanding economic opportunities for the American workforce and additional shipbuilding capacity for the Nation.

These critical new national security assets are funded by President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which includes $3.5 billion for the Coast Guard to procure Arctic Security Cutters.

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