While traditionally largely free of conflict, the Arctic is seeing tension escalate as US and NATO forces as well as Russia eye the region. Even China is attempting to find a place of influence there despite being approximately nearly 900 miles away. While generally sought for environmental research purposes and shipping policy, the Arctic is now becoming grouped in with military preparations in what the Washington Examiner is calling a “polar defense race” in what is seen as a “North Pole Cold War.”
The Arctic Council exists to oversee “international mediation in the region,” and includes the United States, Russia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Amid late tensions, however, Russia is feeling a bit left out and is turning to China as a mode of support despite the country being hundreds of miles away from the region. China has justified its interest in the region using the argument of “climate change” and declared itself a “near-Arctic state” with its “Polar Silk Road,” which China says will be used to “carve out shipping lanes and resources extraction sites in the region,” for now. Some are concerned that this “peaceful infrastructure” could be turned into one with military capabilities in the future.
The Washington Examiner reports,
“The Department of Defense published its latest ‘Arctic Strategy’ report in June of this year, updated to reflect the geopolitical destabilization caused by the Russian invasion.
The U.S. government acknowledged in the document that several factors, including “Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the accession of Finland and Sweden to the NATO Alliance, increasing collaboration between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia, and the accelerating impacts of climate change,” have created the need for a new ‘monitor-and-respond’ approach to polar defense.
Pavel Devyatkin, an American based in Moscow and a senior fellow for the Arctic Institute, told the Washington Examiner that the Kremlin sees maintaining a strong posture in the region as crucial for Russian security, economic interests, and national identity.”
While tension in the region is expected to remain low, the adversaries are still keeping the Arctic in their purview. Russia reportedly has a particular concern for its nuclear submarine capabilities. In their effort to reestablish its defenses, “Hundreds of dormant military facilities in the region dating back to the Soviet Union are operational for the first time in decades.”
The United States is also reportedly racing to expand a fleet of ice vessels, or icebreakers, that could navigate the dangerous, icy waters of the Arctic Circle. The People’s Liberation Army already reportedly has a fleet of the ships, and the Air Force reports that Russia has amassed “55 icebreakers, 37 surface vessels, and eight nuclear submarines” on its Arctic coast.
The Washington Examiner reports, “President Joe Biden’s administration has announced a cooperative deal with Canada and Finland to produce the next generation of icebreakers. These ships will ‘ensure that the polar and Arctic regions remain peaceful and cooperative,’ according to the White House.”
Retired U.S. Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, an expert on Arctic national security, said he believes the three countries (United States, Canada, and Finland) bring a good mix of expertise and resources with the United States’ investment, Canadian shipbuilding, and Finland’s technology.
Although the Arctic region is not at the top of NATO’s list of concerns, it has taken on significance as it becomes another focus for opposing world powers.