The new law, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, appropriates more than $8.6 billion to increase the size of the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker fleet in the Arctic. The current Russian and Chinese icebreaker fleets both outnumber the U.S. In June 2025, representatives from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) met with Canadian and Finnish counterparts as part of a two-day summit for the ongoing Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE Pact).
The ICE Pact is a trilateral agreement to strengthen the United States’ supply chain security and resilience, increase domestic jobs, and improve U.S. shipbuilding capabilities for the American people. Join us as DHS Acting Assistant Secretary for Trade and Economic Security Joseph Alm discusses the ICE Pact and its impact on American Arctic security with Heritage experts Brent Sadler and Wilson Beaver.