- Reaction score
- 63
- Points
- 530
I agree to the premise that we are not prepared for conflict in the Arctic. Are we going to invest in ice breakers ? Commit troops ? Fly more surveillance patrols ? All at a time when we are still trying to stamp out the threat posed by the IS. I would favor buying new ice breakers to replace the three that we have and add say 5 more to the fleet. Plus add to the Coast Guard capability. The conflict may arise if we start drilling despite Obama putting arctic drilling off limits.Both Canada and Russia have strong interests in the arctic.Cooperation would be nice but we will see.
http://www.militarytimes.com/articles/retired-4-star-us-military-ill-prepared-for-arctic-confrontation
The thawing Arctic, and its potentially vast deposits of minerals and natural gas, is opening the global community to intense competition among major geopolitical players, a competition that a former top U.S. military commander in Europe believes is vital to U.S. and NATO interests.
For the U.S., the Arctic is “absolutely vital — not only nationally but in the context of NATO — [as] all Arctic nations, save only Russia, are NATO members, and Russia is building real military muscle in the high north," said retired Adm. James Stavridis in an interview with Military Times.
“There will be strategic competition over resources — hydrocarbons and shipping routes, primarily — and global warming will exacerbate them by exposing those resources,” Stavridis said.
Stavridis, the current dean of the Fletcher School and a retired four-star admiral whose last command was Supreme Allied Commander Europe, believes the U.S. is far behind other competitors, namely Russia, in pursuing interests in the region.
- mod edit of thread title -
http://www.militarytimes.com/articles/retired-4-star-us-military-ill-prepared-for-arctic-confrontation
The thawing Arctic, and its potentially vast deposits of minerals and natural gas, is opening the global community to intense competition among major geopolitical players, a competition that a former top U.S. military commander in Europe believes is vital to U.S. and NATO interests.
For the U.S., the Arctic is “absolutely vital — not only nationally but in the context of NATO — [as] all Arctic nations, save only Russia, are NATO members, and Russia is building real military muscle in the high north," said retired Adm. James Stavridis in an interview with Military Times.
“There will be strategic competition over resources — hydrocarbons and shipping routes, primarily — and global warming will exacerbate them by exposing those resources,” Stavridis said.
Stavridis, the current dean of the Fletcher School and a retired four-star admiral whose last command was Supreme Allied Commander Europe, believes the U.S. is far behind other competitors, namely Russia, in pursuing interests in the region.
- mod edit of thread title -