Dan Webster: “So, yes, the money has definitely been helpful. And we have seen an increase in the numbers in terms of people getting…”

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 United States has relied on the Coast Guard's persistent presence to demonstrate American sovereignty in the Arctic since the United States acquired Alaska in 1867.

It is not enough to build airplanes in the U.S.--U.S. aviation must build safe airplanes in the U.S.