To further strengthen the Arctic defense, Canada, Finland and the U.S. committed to intensify their efforts to revitalize their domestic shipbuilding industries and grow their icebreaker fleets.
US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday, Nov. 19, announced the continuation of a strategic partnership with Canada and Finland called the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort, or ICE, which started in 2024 in an effort to outpace Russia in its active expansion in the Arctic region.
In a Joint Statement of Intent signed in Washington D.C. by Noem, Canadian Ambassador to the United States Kristen Hillman and Finnish Minister of Economic Affairs Sakari Puisto, the three nations committed to continue the partnership into 2026.
The ministerial meeting is the latest development in the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE) Pact, a joint effort between the three nations to strengthen Arctic security, carry out president Donald J. Trump’s executive order to revitalize the U.S. maritime industrial base, and rebuild America’s icebreaker fleet to enable the United States Coast Guard (USCG) to defend its interests in the Arctic.
“Today, we marked a major milestone in the race to secure the Arctic against our adversaries,” said Secretary Noem of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). “ICE Pact, the historic trilateral partnership between the United States, Canada, and Finland, will power our economies with good jobs, strengthen our collective Arctic defense, and bring us one step closer to rebuilding our icebreaker fleets. Under President Trump, we are finally asserting our Arctic dominance.”
During the meeting, Secretary Noem announced the U.S. National Workforce Development Plan, which will leverage ICE Pact partner’s expertise to propel American workers into secure, well-paying manufacturing and shipbuilding jobs while helping to rebuild the industrial base.
According to the DHS, the ICE Pact is key to the United States Coast Guard’s strategy to rebuild its ageing icebreaker fleet.
The US and Finland agreed recently to a deal that would see Washington acquire 11 icebreakers to kickstart the expansion of the American fleet as great-power rivalry is heating up in the Arctic.
A memorandum of understanding signed by the US president Donald Trump and his Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb during their meeting in Washington on October 9 will see Finnish shipyards build four icebreakers, with the first set to be delivered in 2028.
Seven more would then be built in the US with assistance from Finland, one of the world’s leading producers of the ships.
As stated, the US is procuring 11 new icebreakers for its Coast Guard, four of which are planned to be constructed in Finland.
The US is buying the icebreakers from Finland at a time when Russia’s influence in the region is growing. The push to increase the US’ presence in the Arctic has been top of mind for years, particularly as Russia has turned its attention to the region.
