July 24th :
According to Voice of America (VOA), the United States has released its new Arctic Strategy 2024, which aims to counter Russia's and China's attempts to exploit the region's frigid climate for their own gain. The strategy calls for enhancing intelligence and surveillance capabilities and fortifying partnerships with regional allies.
Climate change is reducing the amount of Arctic ice that used to keep enemies at arm's length, according to US defense officials, and there are signs of increasing cooperation between Russia and China in the region, both of which are addressed in the recently-released 2024 Arctic Strategy, which includes the mission.
Speaking to reporters during a Pentagon briefing, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks stated, "In the Arctic, the strategic can quickly become tactical." "Ensuring that our troops have the training, the gear and the operating procedures for the unique Arctic environment [may] be the difference between mission success and failure," according to her.
According to VOA, this plan also involves bringing the same kinds of information and monitoring tools used by the US military in warmer regions to the Arctic, where the cold weather can affect their effectiveness. In addition, the plan stresses the importance of increasing the number of sensors both on the ground and in space, as well as long-range radar, in order to better detect actions taken by US enemies.
Improving the United States' communication and unmanned aerial reconnaissance capacities are also top priorities.
The United States has already spent tens of millions of dollars on these capabilities, according to Hicks, but additional funding is required, according to VOA. "The Arctic's vast distances, especially in North America, make supporting infrastructure vital for Arctic operations and presence," as per the updated plan.
"However, much of the legacy Cold War-era infrastructure has declined over time due to the harsh environment, lack of investment, and climate change-driven permafrost thawing and coastal erosion." The addition of Sweden and Finland to NATO is seen by US defense experts as a positive development for the new Arctic strategy. This means that, with the exception of Russia, every nation in the Arctic is now a member of the Western alliance, according to VOA.
It is worth mentioning that US officials have often lauded the Arctic capabilities of Sweden and Finland. The policy also plans for more joint drills and collaboration, which could be necessary to counteract an increase in Russian and Chinese activities in the region. "It's very noticeable and concerning," commentated Hicks.
"The Russians, of course, have, even as they've continued their operation, their war in Ukraine, they've been continuing to invest in their infrastructure throughout the Arctic region that they can access," she stated. "And then we've seen much more PRC (People's Republic of China) activity, both in terms of so-called research, but because of their civil fusion, we always have concern that there's a military aspect to that."
There are also signs that Russia and China are working together more closely. As a precaution, the United States sent four naval warships and patrol planes to the area near the Aleutian Islands in Alaska in August after the two nations did a joint naval patrol there, according to VOA.
On the other hand, according to Iris Ferguson, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Arctic, those kinds of actions by Russia and China are simply the beginning, as she informed reporters on Monday.
It is worth mentioning that the Arctic is seeing the fastest rate of global warming. New sea routes that explorers and sailors have envisioned for ages are becoming a reality. People from all over the world are starting to take an interest in the Arctic because of all the potential resources there, including oil, minerals, trade routes, and fish.
"We've seen an uptick in their cooperation over the last couple of years," he added. "We see China investing in a lot of Russian energy in order to not only have them supply that energy to the PRC, but also to help embolden some of Russia's activity in Ukraine."
To further its claim to a larger role in Arctic administration, China has proclaimed itself a "near-Arctic state," a term it coined. A "silk road on ice" of commerce lines traversing the Arctic has been envisioned, as have mining and gas operations, research trips, and the deployment of research vessels. According to the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit American think tank, research institute, and public sector consulting firm, it has "spared no efforts to contribute its wisdom to the development of the Arctic region," describes itself as a "active participant, builder, and contributor in Arctic affairs," and has been involved in various policy initiatives.
Not wanting to downplay the gravity of the situation, Ferguson said that the cooperation between Russia and China in the Arctic is "somewhat superficial in nature still, especially from a military perspective." Pentagon officials, however, anticipate a shift in the nature of the military relationship between Russia and China in light of Beijing's efforts to "internationalise" and exert regional influence and the growing amount of Chinese military research in the Arctic, according to VOA.
As far as the military is concerned, we have noticed them operating more frequently during the past few years. "Several Chinese warships were seen off the coast of Alaska as recently as a couple of weeks ago," Ferguson stated. "They are our long-term pacing challenge and I think that includes the Arctic."
Nevertheless, inquiries for comment have not yet been addressed by the Russian and Chinese embassies in Washington. China has the economic and military might to attempt to manipulate the current system to its advantage, which the US views as a potentially disruptive factor. China will be the Pentagon's "pacing challenge" for the next several years.
