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Timeline

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Year

Event

1984

The Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984 promotes the development of a national Arctic research policy, defines Arctic boundaries, establishes the Arctic Research Commission and the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee, and requires cooperation with the State of Alaska.

1983

President Reagan's National Security Decision Directive 90, informed by a report of the Interagency Arctic Policy Group, promotes four "major elements": protect security interests, support environmentally sound economic development, promote scientific research, and promote international cooperation.

1971

President Nixon's National Security Decision Memorandum 144 clarifies US Arctic policy by suggesting a focus on three key areas: minimize adverse risks to the environment, promote international cooperation in the Arctic, and provide for the protection of security interests in the region.

1867

Russia sells Alaska to the US for $7.2 million, instantly making the US an Arctic nation. In 1935 Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell tells Congress, "Alaska is the most strategic place on earth." Today Alaska is critical to US missile defense, strategic power projection, and economic development in an increasingly competitive and militarized Arctic.