US Coast Guard icebreaker Healy completes Arctic deployment

Shown here during deployment in Alaska and the Arctic in 2022, Healy returned from its annual operation in the Arctic. (Janes/Michael Fabey)

The US Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter Healy (WAGB 20), the service's medium polar icebreaker, returned to Seattle, Washington, on 12 December following a 73-day Arctic deployment supporting training exercises, search-and-rescue (SAR) operations, and research missions in the region, the USCG confirmed in a statement on 13 December.

As the Congressional Research Service (CRS) noted in its 1 October report Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress, “Healy spends most of its operational time in the Arctic.”

During a recent testimony before Congress, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) underscored the importance of these Healy operations for US defence and security.

“The coastguard annually deploys its medium polar icebreaker, the Healy, to the Arctic region in support of national objectives and research efforts for several federal agencies,” the GAO said on 14 November in testimony before the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

“This deployment provides additional seasonal presence in the region that helps to mitigate operational risks,” the GAO testified, adding, “Coastguard Arctic strategy notes that Russia seeks to consolidate sovereign claims and control access to the region while China aims to gain access to Arctic resources and sea routes to secure and bolster its military, economic, and scientific rise.”