Northernmost Border on Security Roundtable

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Northernmost Border on Security Roundtable Part Two: Northernmost Border On Security Roundtable Pre-Briefing Materials for the August 28, 2019 Roundtable PART TWO: NORTHERNMOST BORDER ON SECURITY ROUNDTABLE You are invited to attend and participate in a roundtable discussion Wednesday, August 28, 2019, from 1-5pm, followed by a small reception. This discussion is Part Two of the Northernmost Border on Security Roundtable event that was held on June 6 at Joint Base Elmendorf- Richardson. We will focus on Russia, and the U.S. National Energy Policy. For questions or to RSVP, please contact Julie Kitka, President, Alaska Federation of Natives at [email protected] special guests Lt. General Thomas A. Bussiere, Commander, Alaskan Region, North American Aerospace Defense Command; Commander, Alaskan Command, U.S. Northern Command; Commander, Eleventh Air Force, Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska Featured Speaker, Rodger Baker, Senior Vice President, STRATFOR sponsored by Alaska Federation of Natives PART ONE: NORTHERNMOST BORDER NATIONAL SECURITY ROUNDTABLE Materials from this event can be found at: nativefederation.org/military-partnerships Northernmost Border Security Roundtable: Part Two Pre-reading material for the August 28, 2019 roundtable Sponsored by the Alaska Federation of Natives and the Alaska Domain Awareness Center, University of Alaska, Anchorage Dear Presenter or Participant: The attached articles are pulled together for your review prior to our upcoming roundtable. If you have a chance to review, especially the content from the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Hearing on July 11, 2019 on the Important Role of U.S. LNG in Evolving Global Markets, you will get a sense of the intersection of the varied issues raised in our first roundtable on China. We thank our Alaska Congressional Delegation for their commitment to the U.S. and Alaska, and for the way that they are factoring in security considerations in every step of their work. We look forward to welcoming Senior Military Leaders, Oil Company Executives and Alaska Native Leaders to gather once again to continue these important discussions. A big thank you to Rodger Baker, Senior Vice-President at STRATFOR in Austin, Texas for joining us again to begin the briefings. This second part of the roundtable will be a deeper dive on Russia and U.S. National Energy Policy. We will also bring these discussions home to possible impacts on Alaska and the people who live here. Special Guest U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski will be joining us in-person for the roundtable and reception, and Mr. John Babbar, Vice President of Federal and State Government Relations, ConocoPhillips, will address the National Energy policy. We will have a written briefing document available at the Roundtable which will include further information. AFN invites you to send any additional critical information you would like included in the roundtable materials. Please email additions to me directly at [email protected]. Thank you for your time and efforts. Sincerely, Julie Kitka, President Alaska Federation of Natives July 26, 2019 3000 A STREET, SUITE 210 | ANCHORAGE, AK 99503 | PHONE: 907.274.3611 | FAX: 907.276.7989 | WWW.NATIVEFEDERATION.ORG Index of Articles Alaska's Geopolitical Significance for the United States 3 Rodger Baker, Stratfor (June 24, 2019) (https://bit.ly/2JXo9V2) The Ever-Shifting 'Strategic Triangle' Between Russia, China and the U.S. 6 Stratfor (June 7, 2019) The Geopolitics of Rare Earth Elements 13 Stratfor (April 2019) U.S. LNG Exports Are About to Reshape the Global Market 22 Stratfor (November 2018) Russia 28 What Does the End of the INF Treaty Mean for Europe? 29 Stratfor 2019 Russia's Migrant Shortage is Bigger Than Anyone Could Have Imagined 36 Stratfor 2019 Joint Interests Against the U.S. Deepen the Sino-Russian Embrace 43 Stratfor 2019 The West Fears Russia's Hybrid Warfare. They're Missing the Bigger Picture. 50 Carnegie Endowment for World Peace (July 3, 2019) The Primakov (Not Gerasimov) Doctrine in Action 54 Carnegie Endowment for World Peace (June 5, 2019) Russia establishes a new Arctic Air Squadron to protect the Northern Sea Route 66 Published in Arctic Today (July 19, 2019) Russia, China Are Key Close Partners 69 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (June 5, 2019) Russia: Rosneft CEO Asks Government for Tax Break to Spur Investment in 72 Arctic Region Stratfor 2019 The U.S. Zeroes in on Russia's Borderlands 74 Stratfor 2018 1 China 79 Northernmost Border National Security Roundtable, Part 1 80 Alaska Federation of Natives, June 6, 2019 (https://bit.ly/32Ks0gA) Bluster, Cooperation Mark China's Arctic Summit 81 Anchorage Daily News (July 17, 2019) U.S. Energy 85 With Powers so Disposed, America and the Global Strategic Energy Competition 86 U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (https://bit.ly/2XWJacn) Full Committee, U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Hearing 94 On the Important Role of US LNG in Evolving Global Markets July 11, 2019 (https://bit.ly/2XWJacn) Alaska Upstream Slides 135 Wood Mackenzie (May 2019) Alaska Gas Pipeline 152 Wood Mackenzie (April 2018) 2 Alaska's Geopolitical Significance for the United States Rodger Baker, Stratfor June 24, 2019 https://bit.ly/2JXo9V2 3 Field Notes June 24, 2019 | 17:48 GMT Sitting in my hotel room in Anchorage on a recent business trip, I was drawn to the window by the unmistakable sound of military aircraft — in this case a pair of F- 22 Raptors carrying out maneuvers in the nightless skies of the Alaskan summer. In addition to the F-22s, Alaska is preparing to host the F-35, and will soon boast the largest concentration of U.S. fifth-generation military aircraft on the planet. For those in the lower 48, this may seem an odd location for such a collection of military firepower, but as the Alaskans are fond of reminding their southern countrymen, the "father" of the American Air Force, Billy Mitchell, once told Congress that "he who holds Alaska will hold the world." On flat maps of the United States, Alaska is either stretched out of shape on the top left quadrant, or shoved in a tiny box (next to Hawaii) in the lower left. Its distance from the contiguous continental United States leaves it an outlier; a distant frontier known for gold prospecting, ice road trucking, salmon fishing, cruise ship tours and oil. The strategic significance of Alaska is often overlooked, even compared to that other distant state, Hawaii. But a simple look at a globe, rather than a flat map, quickly emphasizes just why Alaska's situation is so important. During his 1935 comments to the House Military Affairs Commission, Mitchell, a long-term advocate of air power in an era of land and sea power, reminded his 4 listeners of the realities of a round, rather than flat, world: "Alaska is the most central place in the world for aircraft, and that is true either of Europe, Asia, or North America." We may be taught that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but Euclid lived on a flat earth. As any aviator of seafarer knows, the shortest distance between two points is an arc. And in aviation, it is the plotting of great circle routes that shows the quickest flight path to any destination. In that sense, Alaska sits at the intersection of North America, Asia and Europe, a critical intersection for U.S. strategic security. Washington may be closer to Western European capitals, but Anchorage is close to both Europe and Asia. By air, Anchorage is 825 miles further from London than DC and 360 miles further from Berlin, but it is 500 miles closer to Moscow, nearly 3,000 miles closer to Beijing and more than 3,000 miles closer to Tokyo. In short, when we remember we live on a globe rather than a flat map, Alaska's strategic location becomes readily apparent. There is a reason Alaska is also a central component of U.S. ballistic missile defense. An added significance of Alaska's location is its position in the Arctic, an area of increasing strategic importance as new maritime routes are opening up, energy and mineral resources are becoming more accessible and maritime food resources are shifting location and patterns. During the Cold War we were often reminded of the strategic significance of the Arctic when seeing pictures or movies depicting a U.S. nuclear missile submarine busting through the ice — a show of U.S. power on the Soviet doorstep. Today, it's more than submarines moving through the inhospitable frozen North. As we think of the changing world around us, and the revival of focus on great power competition, it may be a good time to dust off those old Polar projection maps — or maybe even dust off that globe. After all, the world is far from flat. Article Search 5 The Ever-Shifting 'Strategic Triangle' Between Russia, China and the U.S. Stratfor June 7, 2019 6 ARTICLE June 07 2019 05:30:00 GMT The Ever-Shifting 'Strategic Triangle' Between Russia, China and the U.S. The U.S. trade war with China and Washington's prolonged standoff with Russia — over matters from Iran to Venezuela to arms control — are increasingly driving Moscow and Beijing toward each other. Chinese President Xi Jinping is attending the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum June 6-7, but not before meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier in the week. China and Russia have signed economic deals that span everything from 5G networks to hydropower plant construction to establishing a joint research and technology innovation fund. The deals come in the wake of Moscow's recently indicated desire to collaborate with China in the Arctic's Northern Sea Route [1] as part of Beijing's Maritime Silk Road initiative, while the massive Power of Siberia pipeline [2] is completing the final phase of construction and is set to begin pumping ever-larger volumes of Russian natural gas to China by the end of this year.
Recommended publications
  • EXPEDITIONS Summary Calendar Month by Month
    EXPEDITIONS Summary calendar month by month WINTER 2018/2019 SEPTEMBER DECEMBER MARCH 2018 DAYS SHIP VOYAGE EMBARK/DISEMBARK 2018 DAYS SHIP VOYAGE EMBARK/DISEMBARK 2019 DAYS SHIP VOYAGE EMBARK/DISEMBARK AFRICA & THE INDIAN OCEAN GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS 28th 14 9822 Colombo > Mahé 01st 7 8848 North Central Itinerary 02nd 7 8909 Western Itinerary 08th 7 8849 Western Itinerary 09th 7 8910 North Central Itinerary 16th 7 Western Itinerary OCTOBER 15th 7 8850 North Central Itinerary 8911 23rd 7 8912 North Central Itinerary 2018 DAYS SHIP VOYAGE EMBARK/DISEMBARK 22nd 7 8851 Western Itinerary 30th 7 8913 Western Itinerary GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS 29th 7 8852 North Central Itinerary ASIA 06th 7 8840 North Central Itinerary ANTARCTICA 05th 15 9905 Yangon > Benoa (Bali) 13th 7 Western Itinerary 8841 02nd 10 1827 Ushuaia Roundtrip 20th 16 9906 Benoa (Bali) > Darwin 20th 7 8842 North Central Itinerary 07th 10 7824 Ushuaia Roundtrip 27th 7 8843 Western Itinerary ANTARCTICA 12th 10 1828 Ushuaia Roundtrip 07th 21 1907 Ushuaia > Cape Town AFRICA & THE INDIAN OCEAN 17th 18 7825 Ushuaia Roundtrip CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA 12th 11 9823 Mahé Roundtrip 22nd 15 1829 Ushuaia Roundtrip 07th 9 7905 Valparaíso > Easter Island CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA AFRICA & THE INDIAN OCEAN SOUTH PACIFIC ISLANDS 03th 12 1822 Nassau > Colon 13th 6 9828A Durban > Maputo 16th 14 7906 Easter Island > Papeete (Tahiti) 15th 11 1823 Colon > Callao (Lima) 30th 13 Papeete (Tahiti) > Lautoka 19th 17 9829 Maputo > Mahé 7907 26th 16 1824 Callao (Lima) > Punta Arenas AFRICA & THE INDIAN
    [Show full text]
  • Franz Josef Land Russian High Arctic
    FRANZ JOSEF LAND RUSSIAN HIGH ARCTIC This extraordinary expedition to Franz Josef Land is as unique and authentic as the place itself. Starting in Longyearbyen in the Norwegian territory of Svalbard, we cross the icy, wildlife-rich Barents Sea to the Russian High Arctic. In Franz Josef Land we discover unparalleled landscapes, wildlife, and history in one of the wildest and most remote corners of the Arctic. DATE: 20 Jul - 02 Aug 2019 DURATION: 14 DAYS EMBARKATION: Longyearbyen DISEMBARKATION: Longyearbyen SHIP: M/V Sea Spirit FROM: $13,595 (Double) Day 1: Embarkation in Longyearbyen In the afternoon we welcome you aboard the expedition ship M/V Sea Spirit; transfers from the hotel are included. Explore the ship and get comfortable in your home-away-from-home for the extraordinary adventure to come. The long days of summer sunlight illuminate our surroundings as we slip our moorings and sail into a true wilderness where wildlife abounds. The scenery as we sail through Isfjorden on our first evening is spectacular and there is already the possibility of marine mammal encounters. Days 2-3: Across the Barents Sea Between obligatory initial and final calls at the From Isfjorden we proceed straight to Franz Russian polar station Nagurskoye in Cambridge Josef Land across the Barents Sea. Bay we are free to explore the many waterways and islands of this unique Arctic wilderness. The archipelago, part of the Russian Arctic National Park since 2012, is a nature sanctuary. Polar bears and other quintessential High Arctic wildlife—such as walruses and some rare whale species—can be spotted anytime, anywhere in and around Franz Josef Land.
    [Show full text]
  • 2017 PCTR Draft Report
    PC 172 PCTR 17 E rev.1 fin Original: English NATO Parliamentary Assembly POLITICAL COMMITTEE NATO AND SECURITY IN THE ARCTIC REPORT Gerald E. CONNOLLY (United States) Rapporteur Sub-Committee on Transatlantic Relations www.nato-pa.int 7 October 2017 172 PCTR 17 E rev.1 fin TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 1 II. THE ARCTIC AND EURO-ATLANTIC SECURITY ............................................................... 1 III. THE SECURITY IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE ARCTIC – AN UPDATE .......... 3 IV. THE ARCTIC AND NATO-RUSSIA RELATIONS ................................................................. 5 V. THE INCREASING ENGAGEMENT OF CHINA IN THE ARCTIC ........................................ 8 VI. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................................................... 9 SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................. 11 172 PCTR 17 E rev.1 fin I. INTRODUCTION 1. The Arctic region, or High North, ranked top of the security agenda during the Cold War due to its strategic importance. Its significance was largely reduced with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the confrontation between NATO and the Warsaw Bloc countries. However, due to both the warming climate in the Arctic and the re-emergence of geopolitical competition in the region, the Arctic is once again of profound importance to NATO security. According
    [Show full text]
  • Circumpolar Military Facilities of the Arctic Five
    CIRCUMPOLAR MILITARY FACILITIES OF THE ARCTIC FIVE Ernie Regehr, O.C. Senior Fellow in Arctic Security and Defence The Simons Foundation and Michelle Jackett, M.A. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Circumpolar Military Facilities of the Arctic Five – last updated: September 2017 Ernie Regehr, O.C., and Michelle Jackett, M.A. Circumpolar Military Facilities of the Arctic Five Introduction This compilation of current military facilities in the circumpolar region1 continues to be offered as an aid to addressing a key question posed by the Canadian Senate more than five years ago: “Is the [Arctic] region again becoming militarized?”2 If anything, that question has become more interesting and relevant in the intervening years, with commentators divided on the meaning of the demonstrably accelerated military developments in the Arctic – some arguing that they are primarily a reflection of increasing military responsibilities in aiding civil authorities in surveillance and search and rescue, some noting that Russia’s increasing military presence is consistent with its need to respond to increased risks of things like illegal resource extraction, terrorism, and disasters along its frontier and the northern sea route, and others warning that the Arctic could indeed be headed once again for direct strategic confrontation.3 While a simple listing of military bases, facilities, and equipment, either
    [Show full text]
  • 45 Russia's Arctic Security Policy
    SIPRI Policy Paper RUSSIA’S ARCTIC 45 SECURITY POLICY February 2016 Still Quiet in the High North? ekaterina klimenko STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public. The Governing Board is not responsible for the views expressed in the publications of the Institute. GOVERNING BOARD Ambassador Sven-Olof Petersson, Chairman (Sweden) Dr Dewi Fortuna Anwar (Indonesia) Dr Vladimir Baranovsky (Russia) Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi (Algeria) Jayantha Dhanapala (Sri Lanka) Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger (Germany) Professor Mary Kaldor (United Kingdom) The Director DIRECTOR Dan Smith (United Kingdom) Signalistgatan 9 SE-169 70 Solna, Sweden Telephone: +46 8 655 97 00 Fax: +46 8 655 97 33 Email: [email protected] Internet: www.sipri.org Russia’s Arctic Security Policy Still quiet in the High North? SIPRI Policy Paper No. 45 EKATERINA KLIMENKO February 2016 © SIPRI 2016 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of SIPRI or as expressly permitted by law. ISBN 978–91–85114–89–4 Contents Preface iv Summary v Abbreviations vii 1. Introduction 1 2. Russia’s Arctic aspirations 3 Russia’s Arctic policymaking 3 Russia’s Arctic energy resources: no development without foreign 6 technology The Northern Sea Route 9 The extension of limits of the continental shelf 11 3. Russia’s security policy in the Arctic 13 Arctic threat assessment 13 Russia’s military and civil emergency capacity in the Arctic 17 Russia’s growing military capabilities in, but not for, the Arctic 26 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Silver Explorer Itineraries 2020-2021 Cruise Ship Itinerary for Crew Members with Ports, Arrival and Departure Time for Entire Year in a Single PDF File
    Silver Explorer Itineraries 2020-2021 Cruise ship itinerary for crew members with ports, arrival and departure time for entire year in a single PDF file. Date Port Arrive Depart 9-Feb-20 South Georgia 9:30 AM 11:59 1-Jan-20 South Shetland Islands 12:00 PM AM 10-Feb-20 South Georgia 12:00 11:59 AM PM 2-Jan-20 Drake Passage 11-Feb-20 South Georgia 12:00 7:00 PM 3-Jan-20 Drake Passage AM 4-Jan-20 Ushuaia 8:00 AM 5:00 PM 12-Feb-20 Day at sea 5-Jan-20 Drake Passage 13-Feb-20 Day at sea 6-Jan-20 Drake Passage 14-Feb-20 Elephant Island 9:30 AM 2:00 PM 7-Jan-20 Antarctic Sound 12:00 15-Feb-20 Antarctic Sound 12:00 AM AM 8-Jan-20 Antarctic Peninsula 11:59 16-Feb-20 Antarctic Peninsula 11:59 PM PM 9-Jan-20 Antarctic Peninsula 12:00 11:59 17-Feb-20 Antarctic Peninsula 12:00 12:00 AM PM AM AM 10-Jan-20 Antarctic Peninsula 12:00 11:00 18-Feb-20 South Shetland Islands 12:00 AM PM AM 11-Jan-20 Antarctic Peninsula 12:00 11:59 19-Feb-20 Drake Passage AM PM 20-Feb-20 Drake Passage 12-Jan-20 Antarctic Peninsula 12:00 12:00 AM AM 21-Feb-20 Ushuaia 8:00 AM 5:00 PM 13-Jan-20 South Shetland Islands 22-Feb-20 Drake Passage 14-Jan-20 Drake Passage 23-Feb-20 Drake Passage 15-Jan-20 Drake Passage 24-Feb-20 Antarctic Sound 12:00 16-Jan-20 Ushuaia 8:00 AM 5:00 PM AM 25-Feb-20 Antarctic Peninsula 11:59 17-Jan-20 Day at sea PM 18-Jan-20 New Island 6:30 AM 11:00 26-Feb-20 Antarctic Peninsula 12:00 11:59 AM AM PM 18-Jan-20 West Point Island 3:00 PM 7:30 PM 27-Feb-20 Antarctic Peninsula 12:00 11:59 AM PM 19-Jan-20 Port Stanley 7:30 AM 4:00 PM 28-Feb-20 Antarctic Peninsula
    [Show full text]
  • Crociera Nell'artico
    Crociera nell’ARTICO Svalbard e Terra di Francesco Giuseppe Crociera naturalistica nelle regioni artiche per ammirare ambienti spettacolari, animali polari, ghiacciai e iceberg 15 giorni Gran parte delle scoperte geografiche sono state compiute solcando i mari. Per il piacere di esplorare, senza la pretesa di scoprire, ci imbarcheremo anche noi ma non affidandoci a grandi navi da crociera bensì a motonavi di piccole dimensioni, con incontri culturali a bordo e più intime aree comuni dove non si troverebbe a suo agio il classico “crocierista” in vacanza. Nessuna rinuncia al confort che, nella giusta misura, renderà più gradevoli e accoglienti le cabine (vere e proprie suites) e la permanenza a bordo. Coerenti con la nostra filosofia di viaggio, riabilitiamo la nave a mezzo di trasporto e non a luogo stesso di vacanza, per raggiungere delle località uniche e altrimenti irraggiungibili! Questa crociera prevede la visita delle remote e poco visitate isole dell’arcipelago russo di Francesco Giuseppe per incontrare gli orsi polari, trichechi e uccelli artici nel loro selvaggio ambiente naturale con frequenti discese a terra a mezzo gommoni Zodiac, condotti da esperte guide. Ma anche l’arcipelago delle Svalbard, anch’esso abitato da una ricca fauna artica e punto di arrivo e di partenza della crociera grazie all’aeroporto di Longyearbyen. PROGRAMMA DI VIAGGIO – Partenze: - 4 Luglio 2018 - 18 Agosto 2018 1º giorno / Milano – Oslo – Longyearbyen (isole Svalbard) Partenza da Milano Malpensa al mattino con voli di linea per Oslo e coincidenza per Longyearbyen, l’insediamento più popoloso delle Svalbard con circa2000 abitanti. Arrivo in serata, trasferimento libero in hotel.
    [Show full text]
  • Military Infrastructure and Strategic Capabilities: Russia's Arctic
    Military Infrastructure and Strategic Capabilities 187 Chapter 8 Military Infrastructure and Strategic Capabilities: Russia’s Arctic Defense Posture Ernie Regehr Left to its own internal dynamics, the Arctic should not be drifting towards geostrategic competition and growing tension. While the re- gion’s resource base is significant, no lawless claims rush is brewing, not least because it is not a lawless frontier and because most of those re- sources are within the acknowledged jurisdictions of individual states, either behind national boundaries or inside exclusive economic zones. There are promising fisheries resources in the international Arctic waters beyond national jurisdictions, but commonly agreed restraints and regulations are moving toward the status of law. The borders be- tween states are largely settled, and where they are not, there is really no likelihood that their resolution will involve military confrontation. Continental shelf claims, still being processed at the United Nations, will be adjudicated by scientists, not soldiers, and by the application of established laws—laws which all five Arctic Ocean states have pledged to follow, through the Ilulissat Declaration (even though the United States is not party to the key legal framework, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS).1 Ultimate legal jurisdiction over increasingly navigable sea transportation routes is contested, and while that could lead to symbolic challenges, like freedom of navigation voy- ages, and produce commensurate tensions, no state in the region or beyond has a serious interest in obstructing or disrupting those routes. These are not conditions to drive intense competition. To be sure, Russia is a key Arctic power that is elsewhere in a serious stand-off with its Arctic neighbors through NATO.
    [Show full text]
  • On Thin Ice? Perspectives on Arctic Security
    On Thin Ice? Perspectives on Arctic Security Edited by DuNcan Depledge and P. Whitney Lackenbauer ON THIN ICE? Perspectives on Arctic Security © The authors, 2021 North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network (NAADSN) / Réseau sur la défense et la sécurité nord-américanes et arctiques (RDSNAA) c/o School for the Study of Canada Trent University Peterborough, Ontario, Canada K9J 7B8 All rights reserved. LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION On Thin Ice? Perspectives on Arctic Security / Edited by Duncan Depledge and P. Whitney Lackenbauer (NAADSN Engage Series no. 5 / RDSNAA série d’engage no. 5) Published in print and electronic formats. ISBN: 978-1-989811-13-9 (e-book) 978-1-989811-14-6 (print) 1. Arctic regions—Strategic aspects. 2. Arctic regions—Defence and Security. 3. Arctic security. I. Depledge, Duncan, editor. II. Lackenbauer, P. Whitney, editor. Title: On Thin Ice? Perspectives on Arctic Security. III. Series: NAADSN Engage Series / RDSNAA série d’engage; no. 5 Designer and layout: P. Whitney Lackenbauer Cover design: Jennifer Arthur-Lackenbauer Cover image: Duncan Depledge Copy editor: Corah Hodgson Distributed by the North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network (NAADSN) Distribué par le Réseau sur la défense et la sécurité nord-américanes et arctiques (RDSNAA) ON THIN ICE? Perspectives on Arctic Security Edited by Duncan Depledge and P. Whitney Lackenbauer Table of Contents Foreword by Lt. Col. Adam Rutherford ........................................................ i Preface by Duncan Depledge ...................................................................... iii Introduction by Duncan Depledge and P. Whitney Lackenbauer ...................v List of Acronyms .................................................................................... xviii 1. Comprehensive Security in the Arctic: Beyond “Arctic Exceptionalism” by Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv and Kara K.
    [Show full text]
  • Circumpolar Military Facilities of the Arctic Five
    CIRCUMPOLAR MILITARY FACILITIES OF THE ARCTIC FIVE Ernie Regehr, O.C. Senior Fellow in Defence Policy and Arctic Security The Simons Foundation and Michelle Jackett, M.A. Updated: January 2017 Circumpolar Military Facilities of the Arctic Five Introduction This compilation of current military facilities in the circumpolar region1 continues to be offered as an aid to addressing a key question posed by the Canadian Senate more than five years ago: “Is the [Arctic] region again becoming militarized?”2 If anything, that question has become more interesting and relevant in the intervening years, with commentators divided on the meaning of the demonstrably accelerated military developments in the Arctic – some arguing that they are primarily a reflection of increasing military responsibilities in aiding civil authorities in surveillance and search and rescue, some noting that Russia’s increasing military presence is consistent with its need to respond to increased risks of things like illegal resource extraction, terrorism, and disasters along its frontier and the northern sea route, and others warning that the Arctic could indeed be headed once again for direct strategic confrontation.3 While a simple listing of military bases, facilities, and equipment, either based in or available for deployment in the Arctic Region, is not by itself an answer to the question of militarization, an understanding of the nature and pace of development of military infrastructure in the Arctic is nevertheless essential to any informed consideration of the changing security dynamics of the Arctic. What follows relies on a broad range of media, government, academic, and research centre sources, all of which are indicated in the footnotes.4 This paper is regarded as a “work in progress” and continues to be updated as new information and changes in military posture and engagement relative to the Arctic become available.
    [Show full text]
  • Russia Luke Coffey and Alexis Mrachek
    Russia Luke Coffey and Alexis Mrachek ussia remains a formidable threat to the cruisers; 13 destroyers; 15 frigates; and 118 pa- RUnited States and its interests in Europe. trol and coastal combatants. The air force has From the Arctic to the Baltics, Ukraine, and the 1,183 combat-capable aircraft. The IISS counts South Caucasus, and increasingly in the Med- 280,000 members of the army. Russia also has iterranean, Russia continues to foment insta- a total reserve force of 2,000,000 for all armed bility in Europe. Despite economic problems, forces.1 In addition, Russian deep-sea research Russia continues to prioritize the rebuilding vessels include converted ballistic missile sub- of its military and funding for its military oper- marines, which hold smaller auxiliary subma- ations abroad. Russia remains antagonistic to rines that can operate on the ocean floor.2 the United States both militarily and politically, To avoid political blowback from military and its efforts to undermine U.S. institutions deaths abroad, Russia has increasingly de- and the NATO alliance continue without let- ployed paid private volunteer troops trained at up. In Europe, Russia uses its energy position Special Forces bases and often under the com- along with espionage, cyberattacks, and infor- mand of Russian Special Forces. It has used mation warfare to exploit vulnerabilities with such volunteers in Libya, Syria, and Ukraine the goal of dividing the transatlantic alliance because “[t]hey not only provide the Kremlin and undermining people’s faith in government with plausible political deniability but also ap- and societal institutions. parently take casualties the Russian authori- Overall, Russia possesses significant con- ties do not report.”3 In July 2020, for example, ventional and nuclear capabilities and remains Russia deployed 33 Wagner Group mercenar- the principal threat to European security.
    [Show full text]
  • Arctic Discovery: Svalbard, Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya
    ARCTIC DISCOVERY: SVALBARD, FRANZ JOSEF LAND AND NOVAYA ZEMLYA Only the most intrepid explorers have been on a voyage like this. Your life-changing 19-day Arctic Discovery expedition cruise aboard our boutique ship takes you via remote Russian and Norwegian archipelago at the top of the world before ending on Siberia’s mighty Yenisei river. We cruise past majestic fjords and through ice-choked waters which reveal rarely seen arctic wildlife - belugas, bowheads, narwhals, polar bears and walruses - and millions of seabirds. Your unforgettable journey takes in some of the least-visited spots on the planet, from the relatively unexplored islands in the Russian High Arctic, which were closed to visitors until recently, before arriving on the Yenisei river to learn about history and tradition from the Nenets ITINERARY indigenous people. DAY 1, LONGYEARBYEN Longyearbyen is the world’s most northerly town and with it comes the world’s most northerly high street and pub. On Spitsbergen, Svalbard’s largest island, Longyearbyen is home to The North Pole Expeditions Museum which chronicles early efforts to reach the pole by air. The nearby Svalbard Global Seed Vault preserves duplicates of seeds held in gene banks worldwide. The surrounding Arctic waters are populated by whales including bowheads and narwhals, while walruses are regularly seen hauling. DAY 2, BELL SUND Surrounded by snow-capped mountains, glaciers and tundra, Bellsund is a 20 km long sound - wider than a fjord - on the west coast of Spitsbergen. Brünnich’s guillemots, black-legged kittiwakes, little auks and northern fulmars make their breeding homes on the cliffs while pink-footed, barnacle and brent geese nest below.
    [Show full text]