Approval for full production enables the Coast Guard and US Navy integrated program office to maintain production momentum and for the shipbuilder to accelerate hiring to deliver this critical asset as quickly as possible to support national security initiatives. The PSC is the first heavy polar icebreaker to be built in the US in nearly five decades. The Coast Guard is the sole federal agency responsible for icebreaking. Accordingly, the Service must replace, modernize, and grow its fleet of icebreakers to assure US access and sovereignty in the polar regions. The US Coast Guard is committed to working with the Administration and Congress to fulfill the President’s direction on icebreaker acquisition.
The production decision for the WCC program entails the first eight hulls of the River Buoy Tender (WLR) and Inland Construction Tender (WLIC)—WCC variants that are being acquired under a single contract, due to significant design and systems commonality. The Coast Guard plans to acquire 16 WLRs and 11 WLICs to recapitalize the Service’s aging and increasingly obsolescent inland tender fleet, which supports the Nation’s Marine Transportation System, facilitating the safe movement of over $5.4 trillion in annual commerce and 30 million jobs. Deliveries of both the lead WLR and WLIC are planned to occur in fiscal year 2027. A third WCC variant, the inland buoy tender, will be acquired under a separate contract.
For over 234 years, the American people have relied on the special authorities and unique capabilities of the Coast Guard to assure the safety, security, and stability of America’s maritime zones and borders and to foster responsible maritime governance around the world. The PSC and WCC programs demonstrate the breadth of these commitments and the enduring need for the Coast Guard to deliver vital services to the Nation.
