--- title: Obama: Expand Arctic Ice Breaker Fleet description: President Barack Obama warned that the U.S. risked losing control of shipping routes, fishing grounds and pristine habitats if the Coast Guard does not strengthen its presence in the region canonical: https://time.com/4018386/obama-arctic-ice-breakers/ author: Dan Kedmey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-09-01T12:07:51.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:31:51.021Z article:section: Politics og:title: Obama: Expand Arctic Ice Breaker Fleet og:description: President Barack Obama warned that the U.S. risked losing control of shipping routes, fishing grounds and pristine habitats if the Coast Guard does not strengthen its presence in the region og:url: https://time.com/4018386/obama-arctic-ice-breakers/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt040ae96d86203659/698861d6524fc0ef30df455b/gettyimages-470046220.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3083 og:image:height: 1734 og:image:alt: A picture taken on April 16, 2015 shows the icebreaker Tor at the port of Sabetta in the Kara Sea shore line on the Yamal Peninsula in the Arctic circle, some 2450 km of Moscow. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Obama: Expand Arctic Ice Breaker Fleet twitter:description: President Barack Obama warned that the U.S. risked losing control of shipping routes, fishing grounds and pristine habitats if the Coast Guard does not strengthen its presence in the region twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt040ae96d86203659/698861d6524fc0ef30df455b/gettyimages-470046220.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Obama Calls for Expanded Fleet of Arctic Ice Breakers > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=9cb7707b-2af8-4021-956d-8abe47b19f0b&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Know Right Now: Obama Begins Historic Three-Day Trip to Alaska [Watch (HLS stream): Know Right Now: Obama Begins Historic Three-Day Trip to Alaska](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/8QHnRHoW.m3u8) (1:00)  _Published 2015-08-31. Obama will use his trip to the northern state to raise awareness about the urgency of climate change_  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Sep 1, 2015 12:07 PM UTC Obama is using the trip to highlight the urgency of climate change and recently pledged to cut U.S. emissions  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Sep 1, 2015 12:07 PM UTC President Barack Obama will call for an expanded fleet of Arctic ice breakers on Tuesday, warning that the U.S. risked losing control of shipping routes, fishing grounds and pristine habitats if the Coast Guard does not strengthen its presence in the region. The plan hastens the construction of a new Arctic ice breaker by two years and urges Congress to release “sufficient resources” to build still more vessels, the New York _Times_ [reports](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/02/us/politics/obama-to-call-for-more-icebreakers-in-arctic-as-us-seeks-foothold.html?%5Fr=1). The U.S. Coast Guard currently has a fleet of two active ice breakers, far fewer than Russia’s 41 vessels, with 11 more in the pipeline. The rush to build new vessels comes amid an expansive thaw of Arctic ice, which have enabled nations to break new passageways through the region. “The growth of human activity in the Arctic region will require highly engaged stewardship to maintain the open seas necessary for global commerce and scientific research, allow for search and rescue activities, and provide for regional peace and stability,” the White House said in a press statement. _Read next:_ [_Obama Paints Doomsday Scene of Global Warming in Alaska_](http://time.com/4018291/obama-doomsday-global-warming-alaska/?iid=time%5Freadnext) [_Listen to the most important stories of the day_](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/autoplay/?xid=spl-fullbrief-article) ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] [00:03] This Monday, I'm heading to Alaska for a three day [00:05] tour of the state. And I've been looking forward to this [00:08] for a long time. Not only because Alaska is one of the [00:11] most beautiful places in a country that's full of beautiful [00:14] places, but because I'll have several opportunities to [00:17] meet with everyday Alaskans about what's going on in [00:18] Thunder watch. [ MUSIC ] I [00:39] share people's concerns about off shore drilling. I [00:41] remember the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico all too well, [00:44] and that's precisely why my administration has worked [00:47] to make sure that our oil exploration conducted under [00:50] these leases, is done at the highest safety standards [00:53] possible. 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