US, Canada and Finland look to build more icebreakers to counter Russia in the Arctic

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States, Canada and Finland will work together to build up their icebreaker fleets as they look to bolster their defenses in the Arctic, where Russia is increasingly active. The pact announced Thursday at the NATO summit in Washington calls for enhanced information sharing on polar icebreaker production, allowing for workers and experts from each country to train in shipyards across all three. It also includes promoting to allies the purchase of polar icebreakers from American, Finnish or Canadian shipyards for their own needs. White House deputy national security adviser Daleep Singh said it will reinforce to adversaries Russia and China that the U.S. and its allies will “doggedly pursue collaboration on industrial policy to increase our competitive edge.”