Sen. Sullivan, Coast Guard Commandant Commission Icebreaker Storis in Juneau

JUNEAU, ALASKA—Today, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Admiral Kevin Lunday, acting commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), participated in the commissioning ceremony of the United States Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC)Storisin Juneau, America’s first new icebreaker in a generation. Senator Sullivan has long championed the effort to build new American icebreakers and to procure commercially-available icebreakers, and to homeport them in Alaska in order to close the icebreaker gap in the Arctic amid rising tensions and increased activity from America’s adversaries, particularly Russia and China.
As chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee overseeing the Coast Guard, Senator Sullivan played a key role in securing the largest investment in the U.S. Coast Guard’s history—nearly $25 billion—in theOne Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law on July 4. This historic funding allocates $300 million to support shoreside infrastructure for the homeporting of theStoris.
“With the arrival of theStoristo 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 theStorisright 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.”

Clickhereor the image above to watch Sen. Sullivan’s remarks.
At the ceremony, Senator Sullivan also welcomed the officers, crew, and families of the USCGCStoristo Juneau, recognizing their critical role in advancing America’s Arctic presence and executing a wide array of important missions in the state.
The United States’ only operational heavy icebreaker, thePolar Star, which is on its second life extension, is currently undergoing repairs in California. America’s one medium icebreaker, theHealy, recently suffered an engine fire and is in the process of returning to port for repairs. Russia has 55 icebreakers and is in the process of building more. By 2025, China, which has no sovereignty over any Arctic waters, is set to surpass the United States’ icebreaker fleet. The Alaska congressional delegation has long since recognized this as a competitive disadvantage in the Arctic and advocated for additional resources to bolster the USCG icebreaker fleet.
“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 theStorisis so important.”
Below is a timeline of Sen. Sullivan’s work to secure a commercially-available icebreaker.

###