Anna Forrester
Huntington Ingalls Industries and General Dynamics have expressed interest in the U.S. Navy‘s program for icebreaker vessels after the administration proposed to accelerate the buying process, Reuters reported Tuesday.
Andrea Shalal writes the proposal brought forward the acquisition to 2020 from 2022 due to increasing commerce and maritime traffic in the Arctic and to keep resources at pace with potential adversaries.
Huntington Ingalls built USCG Healy, which it delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard in 1999 and is the newest icebreaker in the fleet, the report said.
The White House also noted its move to speed up the icebreaker program is part of a larger investment plan to address the safety and security of the Arctic, which has become increasingly accessible due to the melting ice caps resulting from climate change.
