The nuclear powered Russian Icebreaker Yamal
The commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard issued a stark warning on Wednesday that Russia was leagues ahead of Washington in the Arctic. And while the warming Arctic opens up, the United States could be caught flat-footed while other geopolitical rivals swiftly step in.
Paul Zukunft, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, warned Russia was building up a huge military and industrial presence in the region while the United States dawdled. Russia is showing “I’m here first, and everyone else, you’re going to be playing catch-up for a generation to catch up to me first,” said Zukunft in remarks before the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “They’ve made a strategic statement,” he said.
Take icebreakers, specialized ships that can punch through thick Arctic ice and ensure access to sea lanes for both commercial and military ships. Russia has 40, while the United States has only two in service today, and only one really available for the Arctic.
As Arctic ice recedes, it’s opening access to a […]
To say the military is not concerned about climate change in general, or the Arctic in particular is just wrong. The planning and research on the topic leads all other agencies. Even Mattis will stay with it. This has been a major concern for DoD agencies for more than a decade.
Well, first of all I’m not the one saying it, it is the Commandant of the Coast Guard who is making this assertion. I do know that DoD has taken a strong new interest in what is happening in the Arctic because the Northwestrn flank of the U.S. is now vulnerable. That’s why they are building up the military bases and ports in the Pacific Northwest. But the truth is, as I see in much of the military press, there is a growing realization that we are behind the curve.