Fyi who has how many icebreakers
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- Fairness is non-unique – bigger squads, better backfiles
- Contention 1 – Inherency/Solvency
- Melting ice increases the need for ice-breakers – more Arctic activity means more risk
- We need 6 heavy and 4 medium ice-breakers – Congress is putting investment on the backburner
- Plan: The United States federal government should invest in the construction of six heavy duty icebreaker ships and four medium icebreaker ships.
T - ASPECCX checks abuse– you aren’t strategically disadvantaged because you haven’t made any arguments yet that we’ll link out ofNo abuse – you still get politics and other generic CPsNormal means – is debatable and it’s educational to debate it- not the same in every policyCongress is the actorO’Rourke 6/14 (Ronald, Specialist in Naval Affairs, Congressional Research Service, “Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress,” http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc85474/,) The issue for Congress is whether to approve, reject, or modify Coast Guard plans for sustaining and modernizing its polar icebreaking fleet. Congressional decisions on this issue could affect Coast Guard funding requirements, the Coast Guard’s ability to perform its polar missions, and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base. Fairness is non-unique – bigger squads, better backfilesErr Aff on theory – the neg gets the block and CPs that suck up the 1AC – we need a break over structural advantagesAgent CPs are a voting issue –(a) Reciprocity – we only get the normal means actor – they should be held to the same standard (b) Limits – there are an infinite number of ways the USFG could implement the plan (c) Skews 2ac time – they focus the entire debate around 2 minutes of solvency Contention 1 – Inherency/SolvencyThe Coast Guard’s polar ice-breaker fleet is aging and insufficient – mission fulfillment requires new shipsKlimas 12 (Jacqueline, “Coast Guard asks to buy new Arctic icebreaker”, 3.24.12, http://www.navytimes.com/news/2012/03/navy-coast-guard-arctic-ice-breaker-032412w/, [CL]) The Defense Department will help bolster the Coast Guard’s presence in the Arctic, the commander of U.S. Northern Command told the Senate Armed Services Committee. Army Gen. Charles Jacoby and Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Bob Papp signed a white paper March 13 that addresses capability gaps in infrastructure, communications, domain awareness and presence in the Arctic. “Traffic has already increased over 61 percent in the Arctic since 2008,” Jacoby said at the March 13 hearing. “Security interests follow closely behind economic interests, and we will be participating in a number of venues to help lead that for the Department of Defense.” Rising global temperatures and melting sea ice are opening the Arctic as a new frontier for research, travel and oil drilling — and creating more area for the Coast Guard to patrol. To keep up, the Coast Guard is asking for $8 million in the fiscal 2013 budget to begin procurement of a new large icebreaker. Such a ship could cost $1 billion. Neither of the U.S.’s two heavy-duty Polar-class icebreakers is in service. The Polar Star is awaiting a $57 million upgrade set to be finished in December. Its sister ship, Polar Sea, has been docked in Seattle since 2010 with engine issues. The medium-duty polar icebreaker Healy is designed for research and cannot cut through the thickest ice. As countries like Russia and even China grow their icebreaker fleet, Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, emphasized how critical it is for the U.S. to keep up. “We have to be a part of that,” he said. “It’s important that we not be under-asseted, and have enough equipment to do the work,” which could include oil and gas exploration. Simon Stephenson, the division director of Arctic sciences at the National Science Foundation, emphasized that Arctic research is important to the everyday life of people worldwide, not just in scientific circles. Researchers in the Arctic are looking at melting sea ice and changes in ocean circulation — things that can affect pressure systems and the entire global weather cycle. “By affecting pressure systems, you can affect the upper air circulation which drives our weather — in Europe, in the mid-Atlantic states, in China. All of these areas have seen changes in their weather patterns,” Stephenson said. Access to the Arctic has received broad support in Congress. While the purchase of a new icebreaker has been supported by both Alaska senators, senators including Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., say the acquisition of a new icebreaker is a national priority. “Icebreakers are of critical importance to America’s national security as well as our economic interests in the Arctic,” Cantwell said in a statement. “According to the Coast Guard’s own comprehensive analysis, we need to invest in at least six new icebreakers to fulfill our nation’s icebreaking missions.” The Coast Guard’s responsibilities in the Arctic include national security, protection of the environment, sustainable economic development of the area, cooperation with other nations with Arctic claims and involvement of the indigenous communities in decisions, according to Lt. Paul Rhynard, the service’s deputy chief of media relations. “The bottom line is that the Coast Guard has the same responsibilities in the Arctic as it does in the Gulf of Mexico or any other U.S. maritime region, yet the Arctic coast provides unique challenges, especially during the winter months, due to extreme conditions of severe weather, sea ice, extended periods of darkness and remoteness of the region,” Rhynard said in a statement. The $8 million request is less than 1 percent of the $860 million being asked for icebreaker acquisition in the Department of Homeland Security’s five-year budget projection. Begich pointed out that in the fiscal 2012 budget request, it was zero, so even this amount is an improvement. “It’s a small amount. I wish it was more, but just the fact to have it down and in their five-year plan shows their commitment to move forward,” he said. Melting ice increases the need for ice-breakers – more Arctic activity means more riskO’Rourke 12 (Ronald O’Rourke June 14, 2012. Specialist in Naval Affairs. http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/weapons/RL34391.pdf) Although polar ice is diminishing due to climate change, observers generally expect that this development will not eliminate the need for U.S. polar icebreakers, and in some respects might increase mission demands for them. Even with the diminishment of polar ice, there are still significant ice-covered areas in the polar regions. Diminishment of polar ice could lead in coming years to increased commercial ship, cruise ship, and naval surface ship operations, as well as increased exploration for oil and other resources, in the Arctic—activities that could require increased levels of support from polar icebreakers.2 Changing ice conditions in Antarctic waters have made the McMurdo resupply mission more challenging since 2000.3 An April 18, 2011, press report states that the Commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Robert Papp, We need 6 heavy and 4 medium ice-breakers – Congress is putting investment on the backburnerAP 6/15 (Anchorage Daily News, “Reprieve for Seattle-based icebreaker Polar Sea, http://www.adn.com/2012/06/15/2506330/reprieve-for-seattle-based-icebreaker.html) The Coast Guard has postponed plans to scrap the Seattle-based icebreaker Polar Sea this year. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Robert Papp made the decision Thursday after meeting with Sens. Maria Cantwell of Washington and Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the senators said Friday. "The Polar Sea's hull is still in sound condition," Cantwell said. "Postponing its scrapping allows the administration and Congress more time to consider all options for fulfilling the nation's critical icebreaking missions." The United States needs more icebreakers in the Arctic, the Alaska senators said. "While this may only be a six-month respite for the Polar Sea, I will use this period to work through my role on the Appropriations Committee to make America's icebreaking capacity a top priority," Murkowski said. The 399-foot Polar Sea is 35 years old and has been out of service since an engine failure in 2010. It had been scheduled to be dry-docked Monday for the first steps in demolition. Its 36-year-old sister ship, the Polar Star, has been on caretaker status since 2006 and undergoing a $57 million upgrade. The rehabbed Polar Star is expected to return to service next year. The United States currently has only one working icebreaker, the Healy. It was used last winter to escort a Russian tanker to Nome to make an emergency delivery after a fuel barge failed to arrive before the Bering Sea froze. The Healy is a medium-duty icebreaker designed to crush ice about 5 feet thick. The Polar Sea is designed to break through ice up to 21 feet thick. One Coast Guard study said the agency and the Navy need six heavy duty icebreakers and four medium icebreakers, the senators said. The reduction in Arctic ice has created more opportunities for Northwest Passage trade, fishing and oil exploration, as well as more environmental and security concerns. The icebreakers also travel to Antarctica to resupply McMurdo Station. The hull is the costliest part of an icebreaker to build, said Brian Baird, a former Washington congressman who is now vice president of Vigor Industrial, formerly Todd Shipyards, which repairs the icebreakers. Building a new icebreaker could take 10 years and cost more than $800 million, Baird told The Seattle Times. Plan: The United States federal government should invest in the construction of six heavy duty icebreaker ships and four medium icebreaker ships.Ten new ice-breakers is sufficient to fulfill the Coast Guard mission – plan is key to resolve debate over the mechanismO’Rourke 6/14 Specialist in Naval Affairs, Congressional Research Service, Quote from July 2010 Coast Guard High Latitude Study,“Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress,” http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc85474/ The current demand for this mission requires continuous icebreaker presence in both Polar Regions. Considering these missions, the analysis yields the following findings: • The Coast Guard requires three heavy and three medium icebreakers to fulfill its statutory missions. These icebreakers are necessary to (1) satisfy Arctic winter and transition season demands and (2) provide sufficient capacity to also execute summer missions. Single-crewed icebreakers have sufficient capacity for all current and expected statutory missions. Multiple crewing provides no advantage because the number of icebreakers required is driven by winter and shoulder season requirements. Future use of multiple or augmented crews could provide additional capacity needed to absorb mission growth. • The Coast Guard requires six heavy and four medium icebreakers to fulfill its statutory missions and maintain the continuous presence requirements of the Naval Operations Concept. Consistent with current practice, these icebreakers are single-crewed and homeported in Seattle Washington. • Applying crewing and home porting alternatives reduces the overall requirement to four heavy and two medium icebreakers. This assessment of non-material solutions shows that the reduced number of icebreakers can be achieved by having all vessels operate with multiple crews and two of the heavy icebreakers homeporting in the Southern Hemisphere. Leasing was also considered as a nonmaterial solution. While there is no dispute that the Coast Guard’s polar icebreaker fleet is in need of recapitalization, the decision to acquire this capability through purchase of new vessels, reconstruction of existing ships, or commercial lease of suitable vessels must be resolved to provide the best value to the taxpayer. 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