06.10.20

Sullivan Welcomes White House Memo on America’s Arctic Interests

WASHINGTON D.C. — U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) today commented on the Memorandum on Safeguarding U.S. National Interests in the Arctic and Antarctic Regions, which was released by the White House. The memorandum calls for assets and resources in the Arctic to ensure a persistent United States presence in the area, including a fleet of polar security icebreakers that is operationally tested and fully deployable by Fiscal Year 2029.

"We are an Arctic nation because of Alaska, and I’m grateful that both my colleagues in Congress and the White House appreciate the strategic importance of the Arctic to our national security,” said Senator Sullivan. “At long last, the federal government has woken up to the fact that the Arctic is a region of great strategic competition. Unfortunately, our adversaries are well ahead of the United States when it comes to Arctic infrastructure. We have one heavy and one medium functioning Polar-class icebreakers, while Russia has more than 50. I have fought for five years to bring Arctic issues to the forefront, including in the FY19 NDAA to authorize the building of six such icebreakers and my bill, the Strategic Arctic Naval Focus Act, to develop the capabilities and basing locations needed to support persistent presence in the Arctic. This presidential memo will add weight to these efforts and will send a signal to our adversaries and those who are laying claim to the Arctic that the United States will not cede ground in this strategic location.” 

Read the full memorandum here: 
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/memorandum-safeguarding-u-s-national-interests-arctic-antarctic-regions/

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