U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Admiral Kevin Lunday, acting commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, attended the commissioning ceremony for the USCGC Storis in Juneau. The Storis is the first new American icebreaker in a generation and will be homeported in Alaska. Senator Sullivan has been a long-time advocate for building and procuring new icebreakers for America, particularly to address growing security concerns in the Arctic due to increased activity from Russia and China.
Senator Sullivan serves as chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee that oversees the Coast Guard. He played a significant role in securing nearly $25 billion for the Coast Guard through legislation known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, which was signed into law on July 4. Of this funding, $300 million is allocated specifically for shoreside infrastructure to support homeporting the Storis.
“With the arrival of the Storis to its new homeport in Juneau, we mark not just the commissioning of a vessel, but a strategic milestone in America’s Arctic future,” Senator Sullivan said. “This ship is an investment in real capability, real people, and a real presence in the region that defines the next chapter of global security, commerce, and energy. The homeporting of the Storis right here in Juneau sends a clear and deliberate message: The United States is an Arctic nation, Alaska is an Arctic state, and the United States Coast Guard is a capable and growing Arctic force.”
During his remarks at the ceremony, Senator Sullivan welcomed members of the USCGC Storis crew and their families to Juneau. He emphasized their important role in supporting America’s presence and operations across Alaska.
Currently, America’s only operational heavy icebreaker—the Polar Star—is undergoing repairs after its second life extension; it is located in California. The country’s one medium icebreaker—the Healy—recently experienced an engine fire and is returning to port for repairs. In comparison, Russia operates 55 icebreakers with more under construction, while China will surpass America’s icebreaker fleet by 2025 despite having no territorial claim over Arctic waters. Members of Alaska’s congressional delegation have highlighted these disparities as weakening U.S. competitiveness in Arctic operations.
“So let’s be clear: Arctic security is American security,” Senator Sullivan said. “This region is undergoing monumental change. Sea ice is receding. New trade routes are opening. Vast reserves of natural resources are becoming accessible. And our adversaries are moving fast to assert control. The Russians and Chinese are increasingly in our air and in our waters, including unprecedented joint operations. We had a joint Russian-Chinese strategic bomber task force in our Air Defense Identification Zone last summer, and we’ve had joint Chinese-Russian Navy task forces in our waters last summer and the summer before. These are not one-offs. These are warning signs. If we’re not ready to lead in the Arctic, others will—and they’ll be happy to do it for us. That’s why the Storis is so important.”
The timeline detailing Senator Sullivan’s efforts toward acquiring additional commercially-available icebreakers was also made available following these remarks.
