Experts at House Homeland Security hearing say U.S. is underinvested in Arctic security; urge faster icebreaker buys and allied coordination

Chairman Jimenez opened a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on U.S. Arctic readiness by saying the session would "examine the current readiness of US Arctic forces, evaluate interagency capabilities, and account for strategic investments in Arctic security assets." He and other lawmakers pressed a panel of outside experts on whether the United States is doing enough to match growing Russian and Chinese activity in the region.

"If we do not maintain a sustained focus on strengthening America's Arctic security, we will have failed in our duty to protect the United States," Heather Connley, a non‑resident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told the committee. Connley argued the United States has shifted toward treating the Arctic as part of homeland defense and urged a new, coordinated approach that brings together the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, the…