WASHINGTON: Amid geopolitical and climatic changes the Arctic is becoming a region of strategic confrontation for the US, the US Department ...
WASHINGTON: Amid geopolitical and climatic changes the Arctic is becoming a region of strategic confrontation for the US, the US Department of Defense said in a new Arctic Strategy.
"Major geopolitical changes are driving the need for this new strategic approach to the Arctic," the Pentagon said.
The changes include the Ukrainian crisis, the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, increasing collaboration between China and Russia, and the accelerating impacts of climate change, according to the strategy.
"This increasingly accessible region is becoming a venue for strategic competition, and the United States must stand ready to meet the challenge alongside allies and partners," the strategy said.
The changes "herald a new, more dynamic Arctic security environment," according to the strategy. They also "have the potential to alter the Arctic’s stability and threat picture."
The strategy said it aims to preserve stability in the Arctic region, where Washington expects to protect national interests."
"This new DoD strategy directs the Department to enhance its Arctic capabilities, deepen engagement with Allies and partners, and exercise our forces to build readiness for operations at high latitudes," the strategy said.
The updated strategy stated that the US needs to strengthen capabilities and make investments in intelligence and information sharing with allies, ostensibly to improve understanding of the operational environment and enhance risk management capabilities. The Pentagon expects to engage with allies and partners, as well as local authorities and industry, to provide integrated deterrence and enhance common security. Also, the strategy said that the US needs to "exercise presence in the Arctic by training both independently and alongside allies and partners to demonstrate interoperability and credible joint capabilities.".
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