Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress
Abstract
The Coast Guard s FY2013 budget initiated a new project for the design and construction of a new polar icebreaker. The Coast Guard s proposed FY2013 budget requested $8 million in FY2013 acquisition funding to initiate survey and design activities for the ship, and projected an additional $852 million in FY2013-FY2017 for acquiring the ship. The Coast Guard s FY2013 budget anticipated awarding a construction contract for the ship within the next five years and taking delivery on the ship within a decade. The Coast Guard s proposed FY2014 budget requests $2 million in acquisition funding to continue survey and design activities for the ship, or $118 million less than the $120 million that was projected for FY2014 under the FY2013 budget. The Coast Guard s FY2014 budget submission projects an additional $228 million in FY2015-FY2018 for acquiring the ship, including $128 million in FY2015-FY2017, or $604 million less than the $732 million that was projected for FY2015-FY2017 under the Coast Guard s FY2013 budget submission. The Coast Guard s proposed FY2014 budget anticipates awarding a construction contract for the ship within the next four years. Coast Guard polar icebreakers perform a variety of missions supporting U.S. interests in polar regions. The Coast Guard s two existing heavy polar icebreakers Polar Star and Polar Sea have exceeded their originally intended 30-year service lives. Polar Star was placed in caretaker status on July 1, 2006. Congress in FY2009 and FY2010 provided funding to repair it and return it to service for an additional 7 to 10 years of service; the repair work was completed and the ship was reactivated on December 14, 2012.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 24, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA590237
Entities
People
- Ronald O'Rourke
Organizations
- Library of Congress