Admiral Karl Schultz
The UNITED STATE Coast Guard is readied to honor the agreement for the very first Polar Security Cutter in the extremely future.
Giving the 2019 State of the Coast Guard address at Coast Guard Base Los Angeles-Long Beach in San Pedro, Calif., the other day, Coast Guard Commandant Karl Schultz called the hefty icebreaker purchase “critical to our national security and prosperity in the high-latitudes.”
“This is not lost on the Administration and the United States Congress, who provided the remaining $675 million dollars to fully fund the first Polar Security Cutter and provided the initial long lead materials for the second Polar Security Cutter,” he stated. “As we build these new icebreakers, I will continue to advocate for what I call the ‘6-3-1 Approach.’ We need six icebreakers, at least three of which must be Polar Security Cutters, and today, I am proud to say we will award the construction contract this spring for our first one.”
Spring began this past Wednesday, March 20.
Earlier in the address, Admiral Schultz stated that the Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPC) as well as Polar Security Cutters are “our top investment priorities” as well as kept in mind that the OPC program, has actually currently begun building and construction.
“The OPC program of record is set to deliver 25 hulls and that fleet will eventually comprise over 70% of our offshore presence,” he stated.
In various other great information for shipbuilders, Admiral Schultz kept in mind that “over the next decade, we will be replacing our fleet of 35 aging inland river tenders, averaging 55 years old, with a new Waterways Commerce Cutter.”
Download the message of the State of the Coast Guard Address HERE
