Sec. 4. Strategy to protect United States interests in the Arctic region
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Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall develop and submit to Congress a strategy to protect United States interests in the Arctic region. The strategy required under subsection
(a)shall include the following goals: Improve telecommunications, navigation, ocean and coastal mapping, and Coast Guard and other infrastructure to support a sustained security and emergency response presence for the State of Alaska. Direct the United States representative to the Arctic Council to use the voice and vote of the United States to conduct increased confidence-building and cooperative security measures with the other member countries of the Arctic Council. Support climate resilience efforts across the Arctic region. Sustain robust research funding to understand the ongoing climate changes in the Arctic region and the global impact of such changes. The strategy required under subsection
(a)shall be informed by the reports and strategies described in section 2(2) and other relevant United States Government reports and strategies regarding the Arctic region. Not later than 45 days after the date of the enactment of the this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report assessing the cost and procurement schedule for new United States icebreakers. The report required in paragraph
(1)shall include an analysis of the following: The current status of the efforts of the Coast Guard to acquire new icebreaking capability, including coordination through the Integrated Program Office. Actions being taken by the Coast Guard to incorporate key practices from other nations that procure icebreakers to increase knowledge and reduce costs and risks. The extent by which the cost and schedule for building Coast Guard icebreakers differs from those in other countries, if known. The extent that innovative acquisition practices (such as multiyear funding and block buys) may be applied to icebreaker acquisition to reduce the cost and accelerate the schedule. A capacity replacement plan to mitigate a potential icebreaker capability gap if the Polar Star cannot remain in service. Any other matters the Comptroller General considers appropriate.