Sec. 8421. COAST GUARD ARCTIC PRIORITIZATION
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## SEC. 8421 COAST GUARD ARCTIC PRIORITIZATION ###
(a)Findings Congress makes the following findings: ####
(1)The strategic importance of the Arctic continues to increase as the United States and other countries recognize the military significance of the sea lanes and choke points within the region and understand the potential for power projection from the Arctic into multiple regions. ####
(2)Russia and China have conducted military exercises together in the Arctic, have agreed to connect the Northern Sea Route, claimed by Russia, with China’s Maritime Silk Road, and are working together in developing natural gas resources in the Arctic. ####
(3)The economic significance of the Arctic continues to grow as countries around the globe begin to understand the potential for maritime transportation through, and economic and trade development in, the region. ####
(4)Increases in human, maritime, and resource development activity in the Arctic region may create additional mission requirements for the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security. ####
(5)The increasing role of the United States in the Arctic has been highlighted in each of the last four national defense authorization acts. ####
(6)The United States Coast Guard Arctic Strategic Outlook released in April 2019 states, “Demonstrating commitment to operational presence, Canada, Denmark, and Norway have made strategic investments in ice-capable patrol ships charged with national or homeland security missions. The United States is the only Arctic State that has not made similar investments in ice-capable surface maritime security assets. This limits the ability of the Coast Guard, and the Nation, to credibly uphold sovereignty or respond to contingencies in the Arctic.”. ###
(b)Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— ####
(1)the Arctic is a region of strategic importance to the national security interests of the United States, and the Coast Guard must better align its mission prioritization and development of capabilities to meet the growing array of challenges in the region; ####
(2)the increasing freedom of navigation and expansion of activity in the Arctic must be met with an increasing show of Coast Guard forces capable of exerting influence through persistent presence; ####
(3)Congress fully supports the needed and important re-capitalization of the fleet of cutters and aircraft of the Coast Guard, but, the Coast Guard must avoid overextending operational assets for remote international missions at the cost of dedicated focus on this domestic area of responsibility with significant international interest and activity; and ####
(4)although some progress has been made to increase awareness of Arctic issues and to promote increased presence in the region, additional measures are needed to protect vital economic, environmental, and national security interests of the United States, and to show the commitment of the United States to this emerging strategic choke point of increasing great power competition. ###
(c)Arctic Defined In this section, the term “Arctic” has the meaning given that term in section 112 of the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 4111).
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Sec. 8421
COAST GUARD ARCTIC PRIORITIZATION
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