Which countries could the US rely on to progress with its shipbuilding programmes?
USCG Polar Star is the last heavy icebreaker built in the US and has been in operation for around 50 years. (Photo: US Coast Guard)
The US Navy and US Coast Guard (USCG) are in critical need of support to build icebreakers, surface vessels and submarines.
The need to rapidly advance the schedule of its shipbuilding programmes might lead the US towards building vessels and submarines abroad, which has raised questions about which countries the Pentagon could rely on.
Speaking to Shephard, Bob Kolasky, SVP of critical infrastructure at AI supply chain company Exiger, claimed that the current state of the national maritime industry requires “working with allies like Canada and Finland”.
“Canada can provide offshore, ship repair and maintenance services to support fleets, and Finland can produce icebreakers, which has been an issue for the USCG,” Kolasky said.
The last heavy icebreaker built in the
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