FYI Who Has How Many Icebreakers

FYI

FYI who has how many icebreakers

O’Rourke 6/14

Specialist in Naval Affairs, Congressional Research Service, Quote from July 2010 Coast Guard High Latitude Study,“Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress,”

Regarding the first two factors above, some observers note the size of the polar icebreaking fleets operated by other countries. Countries with interests in the polar regions have differing requirements for polar icebreakers, depending on the nature and extent of their polar activities. According to one source, as of January 2009, Russia had a fleet of 25 polar icebreakers (including 6 active heavy icebreakers, 2 heavy icebreakers in caretaker status, 15 other icebreakers, and 2 additional icebreakers leased from the Netherlands); Finland and Sweden each had 7 polar icebreakers; and Canada had 6.44

Icebreakers Affirmative

T – Extra T

Primary function is ice-breaking – that creates sea routes

O’Rourke 6/14

(Ronald, Specialist in Naval Affairs, Congressional Research Service, “Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress,”

Regarding the data shown in Table 2, the Coast Guard states further that for CGC [Coast Guard Cutter]HEALY, all of the Polar Operations hours are either transit to/from the operating area or scientific research. ForCGC POLAR SEA/POLAR STAR, all of the Polar Operations hours are transit to/from the operating area, scientificresearch or mobility logistics(icebreaking for re-supply).We estimate 25% transit / 75% scientific research for HEALY and 50% transit / 10% scientific research / 40% mobility logistics for POLAR SEA/POLAR STAR.

T - Transportation

Ice-breakers serve as infrastructure for helicopters and transport people, cargo, and boats

O’Rourke 6/14

(Ronald, Specialist in Naval Affairs, Congressional Research Service, “Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress,”

In July 2011, the Coast Guard provided to Congress a study on the Coast Guard’s missions and capabilities for operations in high-latitude (i.e., polar) areas. The study, commonly known as the High Latitude Study, is dated July 2010 on its cover.17 The High Latitude Study concluded the following: [The study] concludes that future capability and capacity gaps will significantly impact four [Coast Guard] mission areas in the Arctic: Defense Readiness, Ice Operations, Marine Environmental Protection, and Ports, Waterways, and Coastal Security. These mission areas address the protection of important national interests in a geographic area where other nations are actively pursuing their own national goals.... The common and dominant contributor to these significant mission impacts is the gap in polar icebreaking capability. The increasing obsolescence of the Coast Guard’s icebreaker fleet will further exacerbate mission performance gaps in the coming years.... The gap in polar icebreaking capacity has resulted in a lack of at-sea time for crews and senior personnel and a corresponding gap in training and leadership. In addition to providing multi-mission capability and intrinsic mobility, a helicopter-capable surface unit would eliminate the need for acquiring an expensive shore-based infrastructure that may only be needed on a seasonal or occasional basis. The most capable surface unit would be a polar icebreaker. Polar icebreakers can transit safely in a variety of ice conditions and have the endurance to operate far from logistics bases. The Coast Guard’s polar icebreakers have conducted a wide range of planned and unscheduled Coast Guard missions in the past. Polar icebreakers possess the ability to carry large numbers of passengers, cargo, boats, and helicopters. Polar icebreakers also have substantial command, control, and communications capabilities. The flexibility and mobility of polar icebreakers would assist the Coast Guard in closing future mission performance gaps effectively.... Existing capability and capacity gaps are expected to significantly impact future Coast Guard performance in two Antarctic mission areas: Defense Readiness and Ice Operations. Future gaps may involve an inability to carry out probable and easily projected mission requirements, such as the McMurdo resupply, or readiness to respond to less-predictable events. By their nature, contingencies requiring the use of military capabilities often occur quickly. As is the case in the Arctic, the deterioration of the Coast Guard’s icebreaker fleet is the primary driver for this significant mission impact. This will further widen mission performance gaps in the coming years. The recently issued Naval Operations Concept 2010 requires a surface presence in both the Arctic and Antarctic. This further exacerbates the capability gap left by the deterioration of the icebreaker fleet.... The significant deterioration of the Coast Guard icebreaker fleet and the emerging mission demands to meet future functional requirements in the high latitude regions dictate that the Coast Guard acquire material solutions to close the capability gaps.... To meet the Coast Guard mission functional requirement, the Coast Guard icebreaking fleet must be capable of supporting the following missions: • Arctic North Patrol. Continuous multimission icebreaker presence in the Arctic. • Arctic West Science. Spring and summer science support in the Arctic. • Antarctic, McMurdo Station resupply. Planned deployment for break-in, supply ship escort, and science support. This mission, conducted in the Antarctic summer, also requires standby icebreaker support for backup in the event the primary vessel cannot complete the mission. • Thule Air Base Resupply and Polar Region Freedom of Navigation Transits. Provide vessel escort operations in support of the Military Sealift Command’s Operation Pacer Goose; then complete any Freedom of Navigation exercises in the region. In addition, the joint Naval Operations Concept establishes the following mission requirements: • Assured access and assertion of U.S. policy in the Polar Regions.

“Transportation” includes the military

Kim 9

(Brian, Wyle Laboratories, Inc., et al., “Guidebook on Preparing Airport Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories”, Airport Cooperative Research Program – Report 11, JT+)

Transportation Sector:The transportation sector consists of private and public vehicles that move people and commodities. Included are automobiles, trucks, buses, motorcycles, railroads and railways (including streetcars), aircraft, ships, barges, and natural gas pipelines.Transportation Sector: Consists of private and public passenger and freight transportation, as well as government transportation, including military operations.

The plan would come from the “transportation and infrastructure” committee

Foreign Policy Blogs Network 11

December 7,“Congressional Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation holds hearing on icebreakers,” lexis, JT

The Congressional Subcommittee onCoast Guardand Maritime Transportation, part of theTransportation and InfrastructureCommittee, held a hearingon Thursday, December 1 on U.S.Coast Guard operations in the Arctic. The chief topic of concern wasicebreakers. As I reported back in February, the U.S. will be without heavyicebreakersfor at least two years.

Plan is part of “water transportation”

Musick 10

(Nathan, Microeconomic and Financial Studies Division – United States Congressional Budget Office, Public Spending on Transportation and Water Infrastructure, p. 48, ACC. 6-30-12, JT)

Water Transportation• Definition:Provision, construction, operation,maintenance, and support of public waterways andharbors, docks, wharves, and related marine terminalfacilities and the regulation of the water transportationindustry.

Ice-breakers are transportation infrastructure – they make water routes and remove obstacles to transit

Morgan 11

LT BENJAMIN MORGAN, Mobility and Ice Operation, U.S. Coast Guard, Office of Maritime Transportation Systems, Spring 2011

“Domestic Icebreaking Operations,” Proceedings, ACC. 6-30-12, JT

While domestic icebreaking operations may fall among the Coast Guard’s less glamorous assignments, this mission is important for maritime mobility and supports our national transportation infrastructure. Operations include establishing and maintaining tracks (paths through the ice) in connecting waterways during the winter navigation season, escorting vessels to ensure their transit is not impeded by ice, freeing vessels that become beset, clearing/relieving ice jams, removing obstructions or hazards to navigation, and advising mariners of current ice and waterways conditions.

T - ASPEC

CX checks abuse– you aren’t strategically disadvantaged because you haven’t made any arguments yet that we’ll link out of

No abuse – you still get politics and other generic CPs

Normal means – is debatable and it’s educational to debate it- not the same in every policy

Congress is the actor

O’Rourke 6/14

(Ronald, Specialist in Naval Affairs, Congressional Research Service, “Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress,”

The issue for Congress is whether to approve, reject, or modify Coast Guard plans for sustaining and modernizing its polar icebreaking fleet. Congressional decisions on this issue could affect Coast Guard funding requirements, the Coast Guard’s ability to perform its polar missions, and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base.

Fairness is non-unique – bigger squads, better backfiles

Err Aff on theory – the neg gets the block and CPs that suck up the 1AC – we need a break over structural advantages

Agent CPs are a voting issue –

(a) Reciprocity – we only get the normal means actor – they should be held to the same standard

(b) Limits – there are an infinite number of ways the USFG could implement the plan

(c) Skews 2ac time – they focus the entire debate around 2 minutes of solvency

Contention 1–Inherency/Solvency

The Coast Guard’s polar ice-breaker fleet is aging and insufficient – mission fulfillment requires new ships

Klimas 12

(Jacqueline, “Coast Guard asks to buy new Arctic icebreaker”, 3.24.12, [CL])

The Defense Department will help bolster the Coast Guard’s presence in the Arctic, the commander of U.S. Northern Command told the Senate Armed Services Committee. Army Gen. Charles Jacoby and Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Bob Papp signed a white paper March 13 that addresses capability gaps in infrastructure, communications, domain awareness and presence in the Arctic. “Traffic has already increased over 61 percent in the Arctic since 2008,” Jacoby said at the March 13 hearing. “Security interests follow closely behind economic interests, and we will be participating in a number of venues to help lead that for the Department of Defense.” Rising global temperatures and melting sea ice are opening the Arctic as a new frontier for research, travel and oil drilling — and creating more area for the Coast Guard to patrol. To keep up, the Coast Guard is asking for $8 million in the fiscal 2013 budget to begin procurement of a new large icebreaker. Such a ship could cost $1 billion. Neither of the U.S.’s two heavy-duty Polar-class icebreakers is in service. The Polar Star is awaiting a $57 million upgrade set to be finished in December. Its sister ship, Polar Sea, has been docked in Seattle since 2010 with engine issues. The medium-duty polar icebreaker Healy is designed for research and cannot cut through the thickest ice. As countries like Russia and even China grow their icebreaker fleet, Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, emphasized how critical it is for the U.S. to keep up. “We have to be a part of that,” he said. “It’s important that we not be under-asseted, and have enough equipment to do the work,” which could include oil and gas exploration. Simon Stephenson, the division director of Arctic sciences at the National Science Foundation, emphasized that Arctic research is important to the everyday life of people worldwide, not just in scientific circles. Researchers in the Arctic are looking at melting sea ice and changes in ocean circulation — things that can affect pressure systems and the entire global weather cycle. “By affecting pressure systems, you can affect the upper air circulation which drives our weather — in Europe, in the mid-Atlantic states, in China. All of these areas have seen changes in their weather patterns,” Stephenson said. Access to the Arctic has received broad support in Congress. While the purchase of a new icebreaker has been supported by both Alaska senators, senators including Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., say the acquisition of a new icebreaker is a national priority. “Icebreakers are of critical importance to America’s national security as well as our economic interests in the Arctic,” Cantwell said in a statement. “According to the Coast Guard’s own comprehensive analysis, we need to invest in at least six new icebreakers to fulfill our nation’s icebreaking missions.” The Coast Guard’s responsibilities in the Arctic include national security, protection of the environment, sustainable economic development of the area, cooperation with other nations with Arctic claims and involvement of the indigenous communities in decisions, according to Lt. Paul Rhynard, the service’s deputy chief of media relations. “The bottom line is that the Coast Guard has the same responsibilities in the Arctic as it does in the Gulf of Mexico or any other U.S. maritime region, yet the Arctic coast provides unique challenges, especially during the winter months, due to extreme conditions of severe weather, sea ice, extended periods of darkness and remoteness of the region,” Rhynard said in a statement. The $8 million request is less than 1 percent of the $860 million being asked for icebreaker acquisition in the Department of Homeland Security’s five-year budget projection. Begich pointed out that in the fiscal 2012 budget request, it was zero, so even this amount is an improvement. “It’s a small amount. I wish it was more, but just the fact to have it down and in their five-year plan shows their commitment to move forward,” he said.

Melting ice increases the need for ice-breakers – more Arctic activity means more risk

O’Rourke 12

(Ronald O’Rourke June 14, 2012. Specialist in Naval Affairs.

Although polar ice is diminishing due to climate change, observers generally expect that this development will not eliminate the need for U.S. polar icebreakers, and in some respects might increase mission demands for them. Even with the diminishment of polar ice, there are still significant ice-covered areas in the polar regions.Diminishment of polar ice could lead in coming years to increased commercial ship, cruise ship, and naval surface ship operations, as well as increased exploration for oil and other resources, in the Arctic—activities that could require increased levels of support from polar icebreakers.2 Changing ice conditions in Antarctic waters have made the McMurdo resupply mission more challenging since 2000.3 An April 18, 2011, press report states that the Commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Robert Papp,

We need 6 heavy and 4 medium ice-breakers – Congress is putting investment on the backburner

AP 6/15

(Anchorage Daily News, “Reprieve for Seattle-based icebreaker Polar Sea,

The Coast Guard has postponed plans to scrap the Seattle-based icebreaker Polar Sea this year. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Robert Papp made the decision Thursday after meeting with Sens. Maria Cantwell of Washington and Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the senators said Friday. "The Polar Sea's hull is still in sound condition," Cantwell said. "Postponing its scrapping allows the administration and Congress more time to consider all options for fulfilling the nation's critical icebreaking missions." The United States needs more icebreakers in the Arctic, the Alaska senators said. "While this may only be a six-month respite for the Polar Sea, I will use this period to work through my role on the Appropriations Committee to make America's icebreaking capacity a top priority," Murkowski said. The 399-foot Polar Sea is 35 years old and has been out of service since an engine failure in 2010. It had been scheduled to be dry-docked Monday for the first steps in demolition. Its 36-year-old sister ship, the Polar Star, has been on caretaker status since 2006 and undergoing a $57 million upgrade. The rehabbed Polar Star is expected to return to service next year. The United States currently has only one working icebreaker, the Healy. It was used last winter to escort a Russian tanker to Nome to make an emergency delivery after a fuel barge failed to arrive before the Bering Sea froze. The Healy is a medium-duty icebreaker designed to crush ice about 5 feet thick. The Polar Sea is designed to break through ice up to 21 feet thick. One Coast Guard study said the agency and the Navy need six heavy duty icebreakers and four medium icebreakers, the senators said. The reduction in Arctic ice has created more opportunities for Northwest Passage trade, fishing and oil exploration, as well as more environmental and security concerns. The icebreakers also travel to Antarctica to resupply McMurdo Station. The hull is the costliest part of an icebreaker to build, said Brian Baird, a former Washington congressman who is now vice president of Vigor Industrial, formerly Todd Shipyards, which repairs the icebreakers. Building a new icebreaker could take 10 years and cost more than $800 million, Baird told The Seattle Times.