Texas now leading in border security in the Arctic

By Bethany Blankley
The Center Square

Texas is again leading on border security, this time in the Arctic. New icebreakers are being built for the U.S. Coast Guard in Galveston and Port Arthur to support President Donald Trump’s planned border security operations in the Arctic.

The Coast Guard has been key to national security since its founding more than 235 years ago, including in the Arctic. During WWII, Cutter Storis, a legendary light icebreaker, patrolled for submarines, ran convoys and led the first American transit of the Northwest Passage. From 1948-2007, it conducted operations in Alaska.

Davie Defense America, backed by Davie Shipbuilding in Canada and Helsinki Shipyard in Finland, is expanding its shipbuilding capacity in Galveston and Port Arthur after announcing last fall its $1 billion plan to build Coast Guard icebreakers. Its Canadian parent company, Inocea Group, acquired the historic Gulf Copper shipyard in Galveston and Port Arthur last December. Gulf Copper has been constructing U.S. Navy destroyers and is restoring Battleship Texas, the legendary WWII vessel that fired the first shots on D-Day and earned 11 battle stars.

It says it’s making a $750 million capital investment and the project is expected to create more than 2,400 new jobs. It also received a $22.7 million, taxpayer-funded Texas Enterprise Fund grant.

“With the best business climate in the nation, Texas is a magnet for complex, critical manufacturing,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement. “This significant capital investment by Davie Defense will expand economic opportunity in Galveston and Port Arthur and create thousands of good-paying jobs and further bolster national defense by expanding capacity for the manufacture of icebreakers and other specialized vessels for the U.S. government and commercial customers. Texas is positioned to be a national hub for critical shipbuilding and, with our strong workforce, we will be for generations to come.”

Building Coast Guard icebreakers “embodies the Trump administration’s priorities, including the Executive Order on American Maritime Dominance, the SHIPS for America Act, and the creation of the Office of shipbuilding,” Davie Defense said.

“Recapitalization of the nation’s icebreaker fleet and closing the shipbuilding gap with China are now clear national priorities,” Davie Defense CEO Kai Skvarla said when first announcing the $1 billion plan. “Our skills and capability are perfectly matched to address these imperatives and deliver the ships America needs to protect our vital interests in the polar regions.”

Of the Texas plan, Skvarla said, “Texas has one of the world’s most business-friendly environments and the scale to support complex shipbuilding — a capability we’re bringing back to Texas for the first time in generations. Our investment will serve American industry and the U.S. government for decades to come — starting with Davie’s globally recognized specialty: the polar-capable icebreakers critical to U.S. national security.”

The new projects in Galveston and Port Arthur make Texas operations “ground-zero for the revitalization of the American shipbuilding industry,” Abbott said, “advancing American economic and national security by adding much-needed capacity to the U.S. industrial base.”

It’s the second icebreaker project in the Gulf. In December, the Coast Guard announced it had signed contracts with a Finnish company and Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, Louisiana, to build icebreakers.

“New Arctic Security Cutters will defend U.S. sovereignty, secure critical shipping lanes, protect energy and mineral resources, and counter our adversaries’ presence in the Arctic region. They will enable the Coast Guard to control, secure and defend U.S. Alaskan borders, facilitate maritime commerce vital to economic prosperity and strategic mobility, and respond to crises and contingencies in the region,” the Coast Guard said.

Under the Trump administration, the U.S. Coast Guard received an historic $25 billion to upgrade its fleet ahead of its 235th anniversary last year, The Center Square reported.

Funding is enabling the USCG to procure an estimated 17 new icebreakers, 21 new cutters, over 40 helicopters and six C-130J aircraft and modernize its shore infrastructure and maritime surveillance systems. It will also strengthen its ability to interdict maritime illegal border crossers and traffickers, strengthen search and rescue operations and enhance navigational safety and enable maritime trade, The Center Square reported.

Under the Biden administration, the Coast Guard told Congress it needed “eight to nine polar icebreakers to meet its operational requirements” but only got one. Under the Trump administration, it’s getting roughly double of what it previously requested.