Arctic Security

A U.S. Security Strategy for the Arctic was posted to War on the Rocks by David Auerswald on May 27, 2021. Auerswald is a professor of security studies at the U.S. National War College in Washington, DC. In the article Auerswald details the geopolitical competition in the Arctic from Russia and China, the shortcomings of the current patchwork US approach, and he promotes three goals for a reinvigorated US Arctic security strategy: Deter military attacks against U.S. or allied territory originating from the Arctic Prevent China or Russia from weakening existing rules-based Arctic governance through coercion, and; Prevent regional hegemony by either China or Russia. Auerswald promotes a three-pronged strategy to accomplish these goals: Develop military capabilities for use in the North American and European Arctic subregions and then demonstrate the ability to use them in harsh Arctic conditions; Persuade regional allies and partners that the United States can be a trusted security pa...

Arctic Security: Deterrence and Détente in the High North , was posted to the Arctic Institute website by Rolf Folland on March 30, 2021. Folland took over in August 2021 as  chief of the Royal Norwegian Air Force . He starts his article with the argument, "that Norway should lean its Arctic strategy more towards deterrence to avoid exploitation by a revisionist Russia while continuing to mitigate a potential security dilemma through active dialogue and cooperation on regional matters." Fast forward to today with the Russian invasion of Ukraine about to enter its fourth month, and Folland's words seem quite prescient, especially when he states, "President Putin is no stranger to illegal aggression and violation of international law." Folland makes three observations about Russian strategy in the Arctic: Arctic resources are seen by Russia as very important to their economy; Russia will exert maximum control over the Northern Sea Route to secure those resources;...

Updated multiple times per year by the Congressional Research Service since its initial publication in 2010, the March 24, 2022, Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress  report is an 82-page high-level overview of geopolitical, economic, and environmental Arctic policy issues. The report is a useful overview for elected officials and public policy decision-makers new to Arctic policy. The copious footnotes allow the reader to pursue more detailed treatments of individual topics.