ICE PACT

The recently-signed ICE Pact, focused on the development of icebreakers, represents a unique opportunity to revitalize American shipbuilding, a new report by the Wilson Center, a think tank, finds. It could function as a test-bed for shipbuilding and policy innovation. 

“If successful, ICE Pact will serve as a model for how government procurement programs for military vessels can act as an important tool of industrial policy to help U.S. shipyards sell vessels to a wider array of customers,” the report concludes.

U.S. shipyards face a formidable challenge to revitalize American shipbuilding and seapower in a world increasingly dominated by Chinese shipbuilders. Shipyards in China accounted for 75 percent of new commercial ship orders in 2024.

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Here is the intro to the article:  Members, here is an excellent report on the Ice Pact compliments of The North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network (NAADSN) .  Entitled “Ice Pact – Unpacked”, the report summarizes the Ice Pact meeting held in Ottawa on December 9, 2024.  Organized by the Canadian Maritime Security Network (CMSN) and the North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network (NAADSN), the one-day event sought to facilitate an exchange of expertise to inform the process by which the governments will build upon the current statement of intent and flesh out what the ICE Pact can and should look like as it is translated into practice. The resulting discussion offered a range of insights, touching on how to build the requisite economies of scale, as well as the specific kinds and elements of cooperation needed to visualize the end state of this cooperation including future opportunities and potential hurdles that could hinder the ICEPact’s operationalization.

View Report Here