Pentagon announces new US strategy on the Arctic
Explaining the new update to its Arctic strategy, the Pentagon said it was due to changing geopolitics, including growing cooperation between Russia and China.
According to RIA Novosti, the US Department of Defense announced a new strategy for the Arctic on July 22. The document said: "Major geopolitical changes as well as the increasing consequences of climate change create a need to develop new strategic approaches to the Arctic."
The US Department of Defense said that among the changes on the world stage are Russia's special activities in Ukraine, Finland and Sweden joining NATO, as well as growing cooperation between Russia and China.
The Pentagon noted that the Arctic is becoming a site of “strategic competition” and that the United States, along with its allies and partners, “must be prepared to meet this challenge together.”
According to the document, Washington is concerned about the growing interaction between Moscow and Beijing in the region, Russia's growing capabilities in the Arctic, "potentially posing a threat to the territory of the United States and its allies," as well as climate issues.
“The Arctic could experience its first ice-free summer by 2030, and the loss of ice will lead to the resurgence of Arctic shipping lanes and increased underwater resources. As a result, increased human activity will increase the risk of accidents, miscalculations, and further deterioration of the environment,” the US Department of Defense document said.
The Pentagon also stated that the US is interested in a peaceful and stable Arctic and sees a cooperative region in this area. At the same time, Washington intends to conduct independent and international military exercises there to demonstrate its combat capabilities and interoperability.
The United States plans to work with Arctic partners and allies, as well as industrial companies and Alaska Native tribes, to strengthen local deterrence. According to the strategy, this is necessary to improve surveillance and response capabilities, taking into account the requirements of the US National Defense Strategy.
The US could reportedly produce more than 250 multi-role fighters for operations in the region by 2030. In addition, the US Department of Defense plans to use new space-based missile warning and surveillance systems to counter threats in the Arctic.
At the end of 2023, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov announced that the West is increasing its military presence in the high latitudes of the Arctic and developing military infrastructure there.
At the same time, he explained that Moscow is stationed there not to demonstrate its power, but to ensure the security of the economic development of the region, including navigation in the waters of the Northern Sea Route and the implementation of projects in the field of exploration and production of natural resources.
