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USAF Reveals New Arctic Strategy

In July, the USAF revealed what it describes as a “new strategy” for dealing with the growing military threat emerging in the Arctic, a region of growing strategic importance both in terms of ice-free transportation and access to an abundance of raw materials.

The Air Force has the largest presence of any branch of the military in the Arctic region, with resources in both Alaska and Greenland.

“Historically, the Arctic, like space, was characterized as a predominantly peaceful domain,” Air Force Secretary Barbara A. Barret recently noted. “This is changing with expanded maritime access, newly discovered resources and competing sovereign interests.”

Russia, she said, has the largest permanent military presence in the Arctic — “No other country matches its presence there. Recent Russian investments in the Arctic include a network of offensive air assets and coastal missile systems. The Arctic defines Russia. Almost 25% of Russia’s [gross domestic product] comes from … north of the Arctic Circle… mostly from hydrocarbons.”

Barrett said that Russian economic reliance is one explanation for its growing military initiatives in the region. But Russia is not alone in its interest in the Arctic. China, which is not itself an Arctic nation, has also staked claims there, she said.

“China is trying to normalize its presence in the Arctic to gain access to regional resources, which are said to include over 90 billion barrels of oil and an estimated trillion dollars’ worth of rare earth metals,” Barrett said. “In 2018, China linked its Arctic activities to its ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative. Many are concerned that China may repeat what some see as predatory economic behavior, to the detriment of the region.”

The Air Force has announced it has established four strategic Arctic priorities.

The first is enhanced vigilance. “Vigilance encompasses everything from weather forecasting and consistent communications, to threat detection and tracking,” Barrett said. “Physical facilities delivering vigilance include advanced systems like the long-range discriminating radar at Clear, Alaska, and the north warning system, stretching from Alaska to Labrador.”

Second is a focus on projecting power through a combat-credible force.

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“Bases in Alaska benefit from the region’s strategic geography…When the full complement of planned F-35s arrive at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska’s unparalleled concentration of fifth-generation fighters will project unmistakable influence.” Barrett stated.

Third, the USAF will work with regional allies.

Finally, the Air Force will focus on joint preparation for Arctic operations with the other armed services. According to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein, successfully operating in the Arctic and ensuring free access to the region by the United States and its allies will require a joint effort from all U.S. services.

Goldfein said he and Space Force Gen. John Raymond, the chief of space operations, are working through a concept called “joint all-domain operations” that addresses the need for a joint effort in the Arctic.

“It’s a technological approach…If you look at one of the most critical missions that we do, and that’s missile warning, the Arctic is our front edge of that mission. We do that…both at Thule, Greenland, north of the Arctic Circle…We also do it in Alaska, at Clear Air Force Station.”

Raymond said the Arctic’s geographic location makes it the best place to conduct space operations.

“If you look at the key terrain aspect of that environment, we also command and control satellites,” he said. “If you’re going to command and control satellites that are in polar orbits, where better to do it then on top of the world at the pole? It allows us to get great access to those satellites to be able to command and control and do that business. So that geography and the position on the globe … makes it an extremely advantageous place to operate from.”

Photo: F-35’s in the Arctic. (USAF photo)

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The Dangerous and Crowded Arctic

The North Pole is getting crowded, and dangerous.

Earlier this year, we reported on Russia’s massive move towards supremacy in the Arctic.

Now, the Coast Guard and the Pentagon are stressing that China and Russia, America’s great-power competitors, are increasing their presence in the Arctic Ocean, as are many other nations. According to Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl L. Schultz, “Presence equals influence. If we don’t have a presence there, our competitors will.”

Commandant Schultz emphasized that nations are engaged in mineral, oil and gas exploration there, as well as jockeying for strategic advantage.  The Arctic is seen as vital to both commerce and national security.

The imbalance between Washington and Moscow is overwhelming, in Russia’s favor.  Putin’s military has 46 ice cutters, including seven that are nuclear powered, and 12 more are under construction. Schultz noted also that although China isn’t an Arctic nation, they have two ice cutters and another under construction. “It’s hard not to see [China’s ] activities in the Arctic as anything but an overt claim to power, pure and simple.” The U.S. Coast Guard has a mere two ice cutters, the Polar Sea, a heavy ice cutter commissioned in 1976, and the Healy, a medium ice cutter, commissioned in 1999.

At the top of the commandant’s wish list is legislative funding for the Polar Security Cutter. The Polar Security Cutter is actually more than one cutter. It’s a program to acquire three new heavy polar icebreakers, to be followed years from now by the acquisition of up to three new medium polar icebreakers. The Coast Guard wants to begin construction of the first new heavy polar icebreaker in this fiscal year and have it enter service. by fiscal 2023.

The United States faces severe threats from the dramatic increase in Russian military strength in the region.  The resources Washington has to confront it are wholly inadequate, even assuming the Coast Guard receives the funding it is requesting.

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Russia is engaging in new and extremely worrisome activities in the Arctic. According to The NATO Association’s Aleksi Korpela “…the erection of military bases and deployment of forces rings ominous to contiguous states and those with Arctic possessions or interests. This issue has become especially controversial in the last few years, as Russia has expanded its military infrastructure following the creation of a new strategic district: The Arctic Joint Strategic Command (OSK) …”

Mark Galeotti has written in the Moscow Times “Russia is using extortion in the Arctic…  Russia’s icebreaker fleet is a particular ‘ice-power’ asset: It is the world’s largest and includes the massive nuclear-powered vessel 50 Years of Victory… This is all very impressive, but it begs the question of just what these forces are meant to do. Bombers cannot dig for oil, infantry cannot collect taxes from passing Chinese container ships. But they can board and occupy oil rigs, seize cargo ships and threaten any forces that seek to challenge Moscow’s right to do this. After all, it may be impossible to ‘occupy’ the Arctic, but Russia is developing assets that could deny it to anyone else.”

In 2015, the military newspaper  Stars and Stripes reported that on the development of the Russian Arctic command, which included four new Arctic brigades, 50 airfields, increased long-range air patrols by Russian bombers and a total of 40 conventional and nuclear icebreakers, with 11 more planned. That same year, the BBC  reported that Russia was developing a new naval infrastructure in the region. In addition to a new air defense base on Sredniy Island, five island bases were being built by 1,500 workers – at Alexandra Land, Rogachevo, Cape Schmidt, Wrangel and Kotelny. During that year’s summer months, according to Defense News, Russia launched military exercises in the region that included over 1,000 soldiers, 14 aircraft and 34 special military units.

Moscow’s military aircraft have flown provocatively close to Arctic-area territories belonging to NATO members. The Kremlin’s Arctic military buildup occurred even as the United States reduced its military spending under the Obama Administration.

Photo: The Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star