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Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB-20) is one of two ice breakers in U.S. service and is the only military ship dedicated to conducting research in the Arctic. (Photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer NyxoLyno Cangemi, USCG / U.S. Coast Guard)

Operations and Communications Remain Challenges in Arctic

By Philip DeCocco, Marquette University, Political Science and Philosophy 鈥�23

With the significant increase in year-round commercial and military activity in the Arctic, many Arctic states are creating or revising Arctic strategies, including those focused on defense activities and needs. This summer, the Energy Academic Group undertook a comparative analysis of the Arctic defense strategies of four Arctic states鈥攖he United States, Canada, Russia, and Denmark.

The harsh and rapidly changing environment in the Arctic region includes rapidly receding ice and rising temperatures leading to increased navigation for longer periods. Home to an estimated 30% of the world's undiscovered natural gas, approximately $1 trillion dollars worth of earth minerals, and a multibillion dollar fishing industry, open passages mean an increase in commercial navigation as well as military activities and search and rescue operations. The geopolitics and outstanding legal questions of the region pose a unique challenge for states that operate there, including questions regarding inland waters claims of Russia and Canada and China鈥檚 claimed status as a 鈥淣ear-Arctic State.鈥�

Analysis of strategies of these four Arctic states revealed the common priorities of: the necessity of multinational partnerships, meeting communications challenges, exercising the right of sovereignty, and closing operational gaps. Investments trended toward improved forecasting and modeling, increasing the number of icebreakers, and reducing the impact of the conditions on personnel and equipment. The report鈥檚 goal is to understand common priorities among select Arctic states in order to strengthen future U.S. strategic positions and activities in the region.

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Report available at /web/eag/intern-research

Contact Philip DeCocco at pldecocco@mac.com or Kristen Fletcher at kristen.fletcher@nps.edu