U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton has told 240 new Coast Guard Academy graduates they will help lead the way in "reasserting American leadership in the Arctic."
Bolton gave the keynote speech Wednesday at the 138th commencement at the academy in New London, Connecticut.
He sayd the Coast Guard will help the U.S. challenge Russia's growing military influence in the Arctic and push back against China's "illegitimate claim to `near-Arctic' status."
Bolton says the Coast Guard will soon receive a new "polar security cutter," the first of many icebreakers President Donald Trump plans to introduce to an aging U.S. fleet to enable a year-round U.S. presence in polar regions.
Bolton says the U.S. and its allies want the Arctic to be a "low tension" region where no country coerces others.
