Dan Webster: “23 of the 25 have been bipartisan bills, and that's got to be some kind of record.”

I expect you and Admiral Allan to clearly articulate how you will acquire these vessels and what resources are required to carry out the Coast Guard's polar mission.

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.

Thank you for your answer. I am hoping that there is also coming with that nine necessary vessels some sort of timeline.

To date, we have yet to see such a plan, let alone a cost estimate or a timeline of the first vessel in the fleet.