Dan Webster: “Thank you. Just as it is with the chair, tourism and travel is important to us. I am from Florida.”

At the same time, our nation has two operational icebreakers, one of which is dedicated to the Service's Antarctic mission in support of the National Science Foundation and is operating well past its intended service life.

However, this committee is well aware also of the aging infrastructure and workforce shortages and insufficient budget that has operationally constrained the Coast Guard for--more than just this year--many years.

Given these immense resources, it should come as no surprise that adversaries, including Russia and China, are working to assert themselves in the region.

the resources required to build, homeport, and maintain Polar Security Cutters are substantial.