Kristi Noem announces next steps in ICE Pact with Canada, Finland
Ready!
Fight!
Today marks a significant advancing moment.
Together we're working.
We're very honored today to be here.
Thank you and your team for making the long journey.
And thank you for your effort, your leadership and dedication.
It is my honor to now introduce for our opening remarks
Secretary Nuland for his proven leadership experience,
a commitment to public security's mission,
to safeguard the nation.
It's a beautiful morning.
I'm grateful to be with all of you.
And thank you for coming to an important event,
not just for the United States of America,
but for Canada and New Zealand.
And that's what we are.
It's that we are a people of building.
That has spent its life and legacy building things,
building relationships and projects and futures.
The legacy of his family, I want to thank you all.
The admiral has been nominated to be our next commandant of the U.S.
for his leadership and his confidence in Congress,
and thank you for coming.
And what it means to have your presence.
Ambassador, thank you.
As you know, I'm Christine Hulme.
I'm honored to be the Secretary of the Department of Security.
And today is not just a great day for the United States of America,
but for the entire Western Hemisphere.
Alongside our partners here from Canada and Finland,
the Trump administration is taking a step forward
to protect the Arctic against our enemies,
bringing good jobs across us and also strengthening our commitment
to our alliances in the region.
I do want to thank my counterparts,
the Minister of Economic Affairs,
for joining me here and being a good friend.
I'd also like to thank Admiral Monday
and his administration for their leadership.
Both have been absolutely essential to rebuild our best icebreaker.
And thank you to all the other industry partners,
and thank you to those other members.
Today is a major milestone in the race to secure the Arctic for all.
The Arctic is the world, and our adversaries are racing
to claim a strategic position.
If we give up that high ground,
then we will end up future generations in permanent insecurity.
This is what brings us here today.
To thrive on the Arctic, we need icebreakers.
But if we're going to get those icebreakers,
that means we need to secure our supply,
and we need to invest in bringing our manufacturing back here home.
That's why IcePak is such a big deal.
It's not just one that is delivering,
it's powering our economies.
It's strengthening our collective Arctic,
and then bringing us one step closer
to rebuilding our icebreaker fleet.
America has been in the Arctic for 50 years,
and now, once again, we're acting together as one.
Already we're seeing improvements,
and in August, a 24-hour icebreaker request
by commissioning stores, which is a first step.
Thanks to the funding secured by President Trump's leadership
and members of Congress that are in the Arctic,
we are dramatically expanding our icebreaker fleet.
The Coast Guard, Polar Security,
and our new Arctic Security Tire programs
are moving forward full steam ahead.
We're working hard to develop, to build,
and deploy these critical assets,
and this meeting could not have been possible
without the support of Canadian researchers
who have openly operated in and near their goals
which they wanted to test.
The Coast Guard responded immediately,
and we have sorted those intruders out.
Our rapid response sent a clear message.
Under President Trump, we will defend,
and I can guarantee you
that President Trump has committed to this mission.
In October, he signed a sign making an urgency
delivering these icebreakers to an ice pack
that is going to help us make that happen.
By pooling our resources and our expertise,
we are going to deliver these,
and that's going to minimize our costs.
Just this year, the Canadian Shipbuilder Day
was announced as one in U.S. shipyards
to develop icebreakers,
and companies from Finland are teaming up
with American ship cutting-edge icebreakers.
Both, and on that note,
I'm proud to announce the release
of the Ice Pack U.S. National Defense.
This plan is going to set the stage
for rebuilding our shipyards and revitalizing them.
Not only will we be able to take pride
in knowing that they're American security,
this plan will set the stage
for future efforts even more appropriate
and beyond the mark.
Finland and Canada are excited for the success
of an American shipbuilder
who is the most innovative, dedicated,
and first, but they have been let down
through initiatives like the work
we're doing on bringing food to the crowd
and under his leadership, America.
So thank you again, Minister Petito
and Ambassador Homan,
for your nation's willingness.
May God bless you.
And may God continue to thank you.
Next on the line is Ambassador Homan.
Ambassador Homan, the floor is yours.
Thank you, Mr. Secretary.
Thank you for inviting me again.
This is a very good day.
It is a good day.
And it is important in this time.
Finland's membership is major.
And every day, what's happening in the United States
demonstrates the states are devastating
in a number of steps to ensure
that we're investing over $30 billion.
This is a generational increase.
And we're accelerating in the years ahead.
Now, let me be clear.
We've got Canadian and American armed forces
that want to stay out
and be under command.
But we need to keep keeping pace.
And so, cabinet inventions, air weapons,
and science and technology,
specifically our allies,
we're dedicated to securing
and now more importantly, ensuring deliverance.
The ability of our armed forces
It is also, again, why we're now learning
including people that are learning a lot.
We continue to do our best
with all of our allies.
We need support.
And we'll hold the international community
to that support.
And of course, as you know,
while we gather here today,
part of this is by creating this agreement.
This is part of the international
industrial collaboration
that we need to develop
to stay on the spot.
This is our country.
Thank you, Ambassador.
It's now my honor to introduce
Secretary Puisot, Minister Puisot,
and his leadership.
We are gathered.
We are celebrating the continuation
of the one-horse-free-off-road.
The High North is not the easiest area.
If they come here,
it demands data.
This cooperation is fundamental.
Ladies and gentlemen,
when we talk about breaking ice,
we are not just talking.
We are talking about
for Finland,
navigating ice
ingrained in our culture.
With this experience,
in Canada,
you are not just,
you are investing.
We have pioneered
with multiple,
several material campaigns
elected about the
asymmetrical proposal,
which would say,
let's go.
The expertise
which is tested
and applauded.
This deep knowledge,
the confidence,
the deep safeguarding
of your interests
is deemed
at the knee.
The Arctic
is changing.
As climate shifts,
so it means more
the need for reliable
ice breakers
to maintain
sovereign
to have served,
provide,
serve,
and necessary objects
to keep
global
climate
in our economy.
This is why
all of
the steps
we have shown
also,
we are not just
talking.
The meeting today
is about
building
a
Finland
strong
landing
out there.
Let us not
yield.
We will
forward
and build
back.
Thank you,
Minister Puisto.
Ladies and gentlemen,
we now move to
the signing
joint statement
of intent.
A document
on
the
of
this
joint
statement
by
now
and
by
Secretary
Obama.
Thank you.