Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is tying national security to economic security with an Arctic shipbuilding push that strengthens U.S. alliances while challenging growing Russian and Chinese activity at the North Pole and the South Pole.
In a Rapid Response 47 post Tuesday, it was announced that Noem signed a joint statement of intent on the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort with Canada and Finland.
"We've taken another step forward in ensuring that our nations are prepared to meet the challenges of the Arctic and the southern polar region, while fostering economic growth, and innovation," Noem said.
The agreement, often referred to as the ICE Pact, is designed to expand and modernize the three nations' icebreaker fleets — vessels critical for patrolling strategic sea lanes, protecting energy and shipping routes, and maintaining sovereignty in the Far North.
According to a Canadian government release, Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman joined Noem and Finnish Economic Affairs Minister Sakari Puisto to sign the joint statement of intent in Washington on behalf of Canadian Minister Joël Lightbound.
The deal strengthens industrial cooperation in building and maintaining icebreakers and related capabilities, explicitly supporting domestic shipbuilding and "well-paying jobs in the marine sector."
Key priorities include expanded industrial collaboration at every stage of icebreaker production, joint workforce development, coordinated promotion of Arctic capabilities, and deeper trilateral research and development.
Officials from all three countries will meet again next year to track progress, with an "Industry Day" on Nov. 20 to pull in more private-sector partners.
The pact builds on a 2024 memorandum of understanding and the U.S. icebreaker fleet renewal initiative launched in 2025, which already involves Canadian and Finnish shipyards.
The goal is to field "best-in-class Arctic and polar vessels" fast enough to keep up with intensifying great-power competition in the region.
Conservatives have long warned that while Washington politicians argue over climate talking points, rivals such as Russia and China are quietly racing to dominate polar sea routes and natural resources.
Noem's move signals a sharper focus on hard power — ships, steel, and high-skill jobs —rather than paper-only climate pledges.
For the U.S., the collaboration offers a path to rebuild strategic shipbuilding capacity that many critics say has been allowed to atrophy.
It aligns with President Donald Trump's "America First" view of alliances: Work with trusted partners such as Canada and Finland, but keep the factories and the paychecks anchored in North America and allied yards, not in Beijing.
By tying Arctic security to middle-class work and innovation at home, the ICE Pact push underscores a message conservatives have pressed for years: Defending the homeland starts with controlling our own shipyards, securing vital sea lanes, and refusing to cede the world's coldest frontiers to authoritarian regimes.
Newsmax Wires contributed to this report.
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Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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