The Coast Guard is asking for 15 million to keep its only heavy icebreaker afloat and for 750 million to finally build a new one

Get the Full StoryUS Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer David Mosley

The Coast Guard currently only has one operational heavy icebreaker to keep polar regions accessible.

The service has been pushing for funding to rebuild its icebreaker fleet for some time.

President Donald Trump's proposed 2019 budget provides nearly a billion dollars to start that construction.

The Homeland Security Department's proposed budget for fiscal year 2019 requests 2 billion to recapitalize the Coast Guard's surface fleet — notably 750 million to design and build the US's "first new heavy polar icebreaker in over 40 years," according to details released on Monday as part of President Donald Trump's budget request.

The Coast Guard's total request for the next fiscal year is a little over 11.65 billion — an increase of 8.4 , or 979 million, over the amount requested for fiscal year 2018.See the rest of the story at Business InsiderNOW WATCH: Arctic and Antarctic sea ice just hit record lows here's what would happen if all the ice meltedSee Also:The Air Force is ordering more of its biggest nonnuclear bomb designed to take out underground targets like those in North Korea or IranWatch Estonia and Russia discreetly swap 2 convicted spiesThe Coast Guard's only heavy icebreaker has been fighting engine failure and flooding in the frigid AntarcticSEE ALSO: The head of the Coast Guard says Russia has 'all the pieces on the chessboard' in the Arctic but the US has 'only got a couple of pawns'

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