(Changes dateline to SEWARD; adds comments from Obama,paragraphs 1-5)
By Roberta Rampton
SEWARD, Alaska, Sept 1 (Reuters) - President Barack Obamasaid on Tuesday the United States needs to quickly acquire atleast one new heavy icebreaker for the U.S. Arctic, wheremelting sea ice has spurred more traffic and the United Stateshas fallen far behind Russian resources.
The move, part of a push to convince Americans to supportObama's plans to curb climate change, has long been urged byArctic advocates as climate change opens up the region to moreshipping, mining and oil drilling.
In the first step of Obama's new timetable, the governmentwould buy a heavy icebreaker by 2020 instead of the previousgoal of 2022.
The United States used to have seven icebreakers. Russiacurrently has 40, with another 11 planned or under construction.
"Technically, we have three. Operationally, we really haveonly two," Obama told reporters in the coastal town of Seward,named after Secretary of State William Seward, who negotiatedthe purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867.
Obama will have to convince Congress to pick up the tab forany new icebreakers, each of which comes with a price tag ofabout $1 billion.
"The devil, as always, will be in the funding andprocurement details," said Heather Conley of the Center forStrategic and International Studies in Washington, who hasstudied the need for more Arctic icebreakers.
The region also needs enhanced navigation aids, satellitecommunications, deep water ports and other related investmentsnot mentioned in the White House announcement, Conley noted.
At a time of dwindling big-ticket weapons programs, Obama'sannouncement lays the groundwork for the U.S. Coast Guard tolaunch a competition to build a new icebreaker.
"Great powers should have the capabilities for playing arole in the theater," said Malte Humpert, the head of the ArcticInstitute, a think tank. "Russia is ready for anything thathappens in the Arctic, and China is getting ready to have thosecapabilities."
As the Arctic opens tourism and oil drilling, the UnitedStates risks not having enough capacity to carry out search andrescue and oil spill response missions.
Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc, which built thenewest U.S. ice breaker and delivered it in 1999, said it waskeen to bid on new hardened ships for the Coast Guard.
General Dynamics Corp, the other large U.S. militaryshipbuilder and a possible bidder in an ice breaker competition,said it was also very interested, and touted its expertise inmanufacturing heavy- and medium-weight steel commercial ships.
The company that built the other existing U.S. icebreakers,Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction, has exited the businessand its shipyard was shut down in 1988.
It usually takes up to 10 years to build an icebreaker. Itwas not immediately clear when any proposed new vessel might beready.
The White House also said the government should startplanning for additional vessels. The Coast Guard has previouslyrecommended it needs eight icebreakers, although noadministration budget has yet included the huge funding request.
Coast Guard officials have said other agencies will have tochip in to help finance the purchase of new icebreakers. (Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal and Timothy Gardner inWashington, and Steve Quinn in Juneau, Alaska; Editing by AlanCrosby, Dan Grebler and Leslie Adler)
