Adm. Karl Schultz, commandant of the U. S. Coast Guard, speaks at a drug offload in San Diego, on Sep. 10. 2020. Coast Guard Photo
The Coast Guard commandant said “readiness remains foremost” on his mind, with an emphasis on “dollars for people,” in the coming budget that is being developed in the midst of an administration change. Read More
Families of crewmembers aboard USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10) watch as the vessel transits Elliott Bay en route to Antarctica, Nov. 26, 2019. The Polar Star, homported in Seattle, Washington, is the United States’ only heavy icebreaker. Coast Guard photo
As USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10), the nation’s only heavy ice breaker departed Tuesday on its annual months-long mission to lead a supply convoy to the U.S. logistics hub in Antarctica, Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) renewed the effort to ensure members of the Coast Guard are paid during government shutdowns.
USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10) off McMurdo Sound near McMurdo Station, a United States Antarctic research center in 2018. US Air Force Photo
WASHINGTON, D.C. – For the next several years, the Coast Guard’s only heavy icebreaker will lead the annual Antarctic resupply mission as the service develops its new class of icebreaker.
U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz testifies before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on April 4, 2019. US Coast Guard Photo
Unlike the other military services, the Coast Guard has not received budgetary relief to eliminate its maintenance backlog and keep cutters on patrol and helicopters flying or to address aging infrastructure problems pier-side, the commandant of the Coast Guard told a House panel on Tuesday. Read More
Adm. Karl Schultz, Coast Guard commandant, delivers the 2019 State of the Coast Guard Address at Coast Guard Base Los Angeles-Long Beach in San Pedro, Calif., on March 21, 2019. Coast Guard Image
SAN PEDRO, Calif. — As the Coast Guard continues modernizing with new cutters, drones and other technologies, its top leader warns the service will reach a “tipping point” without sufficient resources to support and sustain the force. Read More
Coast Guard Divers repair Heavy Icebreaker USCGC Polar Sea (WAGB-10) during the cutter’s 2019 deployment to McMurdo Station Antarctica. US Coast Guard Image
The Coast Guard plans to award a contract this spring to build a new heavy icebreaker, but Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz says today’s problems running the one decades-old icebreaker illustrate the fragility of the current polar icebreaking capability. Read More
A curious Adelie penguin stands near the Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star on McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, Jan. 7, 2016. During their visit to Antarctica for Deep Freeze 2016, the U.S. military’s logistical support to the National Science Foundation-managed U.S. Antarctic Program, the Polar Star crew encounters a variety of Antarctic marine life, including penguins, whales and seals. U.S. Coast Guard photo
The Coast Guard’s long-sought heavy icebreaker, the Polar Security Cutter, was among the programs to receive funding when Congress passed a spending package on late Thursday.
MV Xue Long. Xinhua Net Photo
A Russian ship trapped for two weeks in Antarctica — and the Chinese ship sent to rescue it — have escaped the ice pack, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Read More
US Coast Guard Ice Breaker Polar Star (WAGB-10). US Coast Guard Photo
U.S. Coast Guard Ice Breaker Polar Star (WAGB-10) has been requested by the Russian, Chinese and Australian government to assist two ships that have been stranded in Antarctic ice, the service told USNI News on Saturday. Read More
