Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem met with Canadian Ambassador Kristen Hillman and Finnish Minister of Economic Affairs Sakari Puisto in Washington, D.C., to reaffirm the United States, Canada, and Finland’s commitment to strengthening their shipbuilding industries and expanding their icebreaker fleets. The meeting is part of the ongoing Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE) Pact, which aims to bolster Arctic security and rebuild the U.S. icebreaker fleet.
Secretary Noem described the gathering as a significant development in securing the Arctic region. “Today, we marked a major milestone in the race to secure the Arctic against our adversaries,” said Secretary Noem. “ICE Pact, the historic trilateral partnership between the United States, Canada, and Finland, will power our economies with good jobs, strengthen our collective Arctic defense, and bring us one step closer to rebuilding our icebreaker fleets. Under President Trump, we are finally asserting our Arctic dominance.”
During the event, Secretary Noem announced a new U.S. National Workforce Development Plan that will draw on expertise from ICE Pact partners to create more manufacturing and shipbuilding jobs in America while supporting efforts to rebuild industrial capacity.
The three officials signed a Joint Statement of Intent extending their partnership into 2026 and reviewed several accomplishments from 2025:
- A collaboration with the Department of Labor established an $8 million grant for an International Shipbuilding Fellowship. This program funds opportunities for American workers to train at Finnish shipyards.
- Canadian shipbuilder Davie invested $1 billion to acquire and modernize U.S. shipyard assets in Texas for domestic icebreaker production.
- The ICE Pact framework helped implement President Trump’s memorandum on acquiring new polar icebreakers by introducing innovative procurement strategies such as the Acquisitions Learning Forum. As a result, the United States Coast Guard has commissioned its first new polar icebreaker in 25 years—the Cutter Storis.
- Joint research projects have advanced technology related to ice navigation, remote sensing, and environmental monitoring.
These initiatives are considered crucial for enabling safe navigation in increasingly contested Arctic waters where other nations have expanded their military presence.
The ICE Pact responds to concerns that previous administrations allowed U.S. capabilities in the Arctic region to fall behind those of Russia and China. The partnership aims to address this gap by developing modern vessels for both domestic use and allied support.
According to DHS officials, this agreement represents one of the largest investments ever made by the United States government toward Arctic maritime operations.
More details about this initiative can be found at https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/11/19/dhs-hosts-icebreaker-collaboration-effort-pact-ministerial-meeting-advance-arctic