Utoo Radio with Other News Sources - July 26, 2024 - The US Pentagon has released an updated Arctic strategy warning of low-level Russian "destabilizing" activities in the Far North aimed at the United States, Canada, and its allies.
The 18-page assessment points to increased naval co-operation in the region between Moscow and Beijing and promises more allied military exercises, the deployment of new technologies, and increased co-operation with NATO. The disruption activities in the Arctic involve potential Russian jamming of global positioning system (GPS) satellites. Russia's Arctic capabilities have the potential to hold the U.S. homeland, as well as allied and partner territory, at risk.
The strategy noted that the quickest way to attack the United States with long-range missiles would be through the Arctic, something soon-to-be retiring NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has noted on several occasions.
Russia continues to invest heavily in new military infrastructure and refurbishing Soviet-era installations in the Arctic. Despite some attrition of Russia's conventional land forces due to losses in Ukraine, its strategic, air, and maritime forces remain intact. Russia has demonstrated the ability to reconstitute and reorganize its conventional ground forces, which illuminates the potential for future improved readiness and combat expertise in the Arctic.
The release of the strategy came during the same week U.S. and Canadian air force fighters intercepted several Russian and Chinese bombers in international airspace near the coast of Alaska. The strategy noted how increasingly China and Russia are collaborating in the Arctic across multiple fronts, including on joint naval exercises. The U.S. strategy calls for improved surveillance of the Arctic, including the Canadian portion.
The Liberal government recently introduced its own updated defense strategy, placing greater emphasis on the Far North and highlighting planned investments in a refurbished NORAD and the introduction of underwater surveillance sensors. During the NATO summit, the U.S., Canada, and Finland announced plans to form a partnership to build heavy icebreakers.
The Pentagon strategy nodded to the effects of climate change in the region and noted how warmer weather will affect the ability of military forces to operate in the region. Sustaining distributed forces and remote operating locations is even more challenging in these changing Arctic conditions.
