Getting ready for Arctic operations

Currently the US Coast Guard has no personnel or facilities permanently assigned north of the Arctic Circle. As the ice cover is reduced, the resulting additional shipping will require the performance of missions in areas never seen before. Before this happens, analysis needs to be done to determine how the service can best organize and execute its missions. The first major steps are being taken this year to determine what it takes to perform the necessary tasks. Our approach will be to deploy several helicopters and boats to Point Barrow for two weeks this summer, review how other organizations and countries are performing related tasks, and identify additional gaps that need to be researched. Finally, monitoring of environmental conditions will be needed to ensure safe operations.