US Coast Guard is facing a dilemma at the North Pole

July 12, 2014 00:32

The US Coast Guard is facing a dilemma at the North Pole.

The service's fleet of icebreakers, ships designed to navigate and cut through ice-covered waters in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, is getting older.

The vessels themselves are slowly deteriorating, and by 2020, naval experts say the country's icebreaking capabilities will run out.

The powerful ships, which can break through ice up to 6 feet thick, monitor sea traffic, conduct scientific research, and carry out search-and-rescue missions for other nation's ships at both ends of the world.

Their presence alone allows the US defend its national security, economic, and environmental interests in the Arctic region, whose vast natural resources have several countries vying for more control.

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