Russia has aggressively built up its fleet of ships cruising Arctic waters, while the U.S. has fallen far behind. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., is now urging Trump to counter that influence by funding additional so-called “icebreakers” for the U.S. Coast Guard, as well as drones to help the U.S. patrol. Expand / Contract Dec. 12, 2016: The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star is the only ship capable of breaking through Antarctica's thick ice. Hunter specifically wants funding for six more U.S. icebreakers, as the Coast Guard starts planning. On Wednesday, the Coast Guard announced it awarded five contracts worth about $20 million to study heavy polar icebreaker design and analysis.

Source: Fox News February 23, 2017 18:06 UTC