High up in the Arctic, the stillness of remote terrain is sporadically interrupted by enormous ships crashing through ice sheets, carving paths through the frozen wasteland.
Icebreakers, as these vessels are known, can weigh more than 30,000 tons and have become critical in moving cargo, supplying research stations and projecting military power in the region.
The US may be the unchallenged power in its own hemisphere, but it is far more vulnerable in the Arctic because its fleet of icebreakers lags well behind those of rival powers and allies alike.
The situation is “abysmal”, one former admiral told The Telegraph.
