(TASS) - The United States plans to build three new icebreakers to explore the Arctic, according to a senior US administration official announcing it on Friday during a telephone briefing about a new US strategy for the Arctic region.
Currently, the United States has one large icebreaker, which is nearing the end of its service life, and one medium-sized one, he said noting that it was decided to start the construction of three new icebreakers to replace them.
At the same time, the representative of the White House added that the first of the new icebreakers could be launched only in a few years.
The United States plans to further extract minerals in the Arctic, said the White House spokesperson adding that there are some indications that critical minerals are in the various Arctic regions, including those owned by the United States (in Alaska), so, the strategy calls for the extraction development of the critical minerals.
The spokesperson of the White House further added that exploration of deposits will become the first stage of these plans.
The previous US strategy for the Arctic development has been in place since 2013. It did not take into account the recently increased geopolitical competition of the country with Russia and China in this region.
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