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50 posters

    Arctic rush

    kvs
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    Post  kvs Mon Jun 22, 2015 3:39 am

    max steel wrote: Pentagon Expands Military Capabilities in Arctic   Mad


    A Government Accountability Office report says that the US Department of Defense is stepping up its military capabilities for increased activities in the Arctic Ocean region.


    [The Department of Defense] has taken actions, along with interagency partners, to address some near-term capabilities needed in the Arctic, such as maritime domain awareness and communications,” the report, released on Friday, said.

    The report outlines the increased military deployments in terms of their missions capabilities.

    “[The Department of Defense] continues to monitor the security environment in the region and is tracking indicators that could change its threat assessment and affect [its] future role,” the report said.

    The GAO noted that the Defense Department’s Implementation Plan to the National Strategy for the Arctic Region created a framework and identified activities to address many of the needed capabilities.

    “[A]s the lead agency for Arctic sea ice forecasting, [the Defense Department] has established an interagency team to focus on improved sea ice modeling,” the report stated.

    The GAO explained that the US Navy's Arctic Roadmap document includes “an implementation plan and timeline for operations and training, facilities, equipment, and maritime domain awareness, among other capabilities.”

    Moreover, the US Northern Command is updating the Commander's Estimate for the Arctic with “near-, mid- and long-term goals,” the report noted.
    The Northern Command is also “conducting studies of various Arctic mission areas, such as maritime homeland defense and undersea surveillance, to identify future capability needs,” it said.

    The Government Accountability Office is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress and investigates how the US federal government spends taxpayer dollars.


    http://sputniknews.com/military/20150620/1023614034.html#ixzz3ddZe5Ml7

    Oh my, they expanded their communications in the Arctic. What an epic accomplishment. How many bases did they build? None.

    This story is about the US regime staging yap theater about how it is "countering the Russian threat". Russia is the one being threatened
    by the US and its minions. You will note how in none of the western media reports on the Arctic oil reserves is the fact that that over
    80% of them are within Russia's EEZ is ever mentioned. And I am using the US Geological Survey report as the reference. The sedimentary
    rock shelf off Siberia is where the oil and gas deposits are and not in the metamorphosed sedimentary rock spanning most of the Arctic
    Ocean basin. Aside from the Beaufort Sea area both the US and Canada have no oil and gas reserves in the Arctic (due to geology). But
    you would think that Russia is claiming "their" oil and gas.
    max steel
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    Post  max steel Mon Jun 29, 2015 8:31 pm

    New BMD-4M may be used for landing in the Arctic

    The latest fighting vehicle BMD-4M, which will go into service of the Russian Airborne Troops, can be used for landing in the Arctic, Deputy Commander of the Airborne Troops, Lieutenant-General Alexey Ragozin said on Thursday.

    “I think that our reliable machine (BMD-4M) will get its landing equipment, and in the future it will certainly be able to be used for landing in the area of the central Arctic,” Rogozin said.

    In May 2015, the commander of the Russian Airborne Troops Colonel-General Vladimir Shamanov said that public testing of BMD-4M has been completed. According to him, in 2015 the Airborne Troops will get more than 30 of these machines.

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    DTA
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    Post  DTA Tue Jun 30, 2015 5:27 pm

    research expedition Kara-Zima 2015 , special report


    photos
    http://se.sputniknews.com/foto/20150617/320664.html
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    Post  Viktor Sun Jul 05, 2015 4:37 pm

    Nice thumbsup

    Russian Air Force: Russia will strengthen the air defense system in the Arctic
    max steel
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    Post  max steel Sun Jul 12, 2015 3:34 pm

    Russia to Double Military Troops on Novaya Zemlya in Arctic by 2020

    Russian troop grouping on Novaya Zemlya Island will be doubled by 2020, according to the statement of source.Russia will double its military might on its Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arctic by 2020, a source in the Russian military told RIA Novosti on Thursday.

    "Today, an increase in Arctic groupings of troops and equipment is underway in Russia’s Central Range [on Novaya Zemlya] and according to our plans, troop groupings will be doubled by 2020," the source said

    The Arctic is considered to be a major source of hydrocarbons, minerals, fresh water and fish. The region's resources are a matter of interest for countries bordering the area, including Russia, the United States, Canada, Norway, and Denmark.

    In 2013, Moscow announced a strategy to increase its presence in the Arctic and to boost the region's development by 2020. Since then, Russia has been particularly active in exploring opportunities in the region.

    In December 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a revised military doctrine for the country, under which it is planned to build a unified network of military facilities in Russia's Arctic territories to host troops, warships and aircraft, as part of an effort to strengthen border defense in the region.


    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    US Coast Guard chief: We are 'not even in the same league as Russia' in the Arctic


    Moscow has undertaken a construction blitz across the Arctic to establish military superiority in the region. Russia is constructing ten Arctic search-and-rescue stations, 16 deepwater ports, 13 airfields, and ten air-defense radar stations across its Arctic coast. russia respekt

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    franco
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    Post  franco Sun Aug 09, 2015 1:41 pm

    80th Motor Rifle Brigade (Arctic) deploys units to Norl'isk area for training exercises. This deployment is about a third of the distance across Russia from their home base in Alakurtti.
    http://bmpd.livejournal.com/1422245.html
    max steel
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    Post  max steel Sun Aug 09, 2015 9:16 pm

    Arctic armored “Toros” can be equipped with thermal imager and learn to resist “Javelin”

    The fighting vehicle of fire support and maintenance “Toros” created in Murom, which has a chance to enter the Russian Arctic arms brigades, may become even deadlier.

    Presented at the International Forum “Army 2015″ sample was equipped with a combined sight TKN-4GA. In the “day” mode it can be used to detect targets at ranges up to 5,500 m, and at night – up to 1500 m.

    The sight TKN-4GA-03 enhances the range of parameters of vision and precise shooting object 1.5-2 times with respect to the serial products, regardless of ambient light level, time of day, season and weather conditions, the characteristics of the combat situation on the ground, using only passive mode.

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    ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    Arctic brigade of the Northern Fleet received first batch of ATVs

    The first batch of seven army ATV AM-1 entered into service at Arctic Motorized Brigade of the Northern Fleet. After receiving the new technology experts of the compounds produced its assembly and run-in, the press service of the Northern Fleet said.

    The contract servicemen, who have considerable experience of operating motor vehicles and driver’s license appropriate category, will manage army ATV.
    Such mobile appliances with high cross are intended for conducting reconnaissance and patrol operations, offshore and search and rescue operations in different environments, including the Arctic ones. Last year, two ATVs were tested in the polar latitudes on the island and peninsula Boiler fishing.

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    PapaDragon
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    Post  PapaDragon Thu Sep 24, 2015 5:29 pm


    A year ago it was just a tiny scale model.... they grow up so fast lol1

    Arctic rush - Page 5 D3d3LnNkZWxhbm91bmFzLnJ1L3VwbG9hZHMvNy83Lzc3MDE0NDMwMjMxNTNfb3JpZy5qcGVnP19faWQ9NjgxMjM=

    http://www.sdelanounas.ru/blogs/68123/
    magnumcromagnon
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    Post  magnumcromagnon Tue Sep 29, 2015 6:13 pm

    Russian Arctic shelf recoverable reserves reach 447 Mt of oil, 10 trillion cub m. of gas

    Russian scientific expedition has made some 20 geographical discoveries near the Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya archipelagos in Russia’s Arctic

    Russian military collect 3,600 tons of metal scrap during Arctic islands cleanup
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    Post  George1 Wed Sep 30, 2015 9:07 am

    Russia intensifies construction of military facilities in Arctic

    The projects are implemented on the Franz Josef Land archipelago, the Novaya Zemlya, the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago, on the Wrangel Island and Cape Schmidt (Chukotka) and on the New Siberian Islands

    MOSCOW, September 29. /TASS/. The Russian Federal Agency for Special Construction (Spetsstroy) has increased to 1,500 the number of engineers working on the construction of Defense Ministry’s facilities in the Arctic, says Spetsstroy’s report received by TASS on Tuesday. According to the report, about 13 government contracts on the construction of military garrisons and airfields are being implemented.

    The projects are implemented on Alexandra Land (Franz Josef Land archipelago), in the Rogachevo settlement (the Novaya Zemlya), on Sredny Island (the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago) on Wrangel Island and Cape Schmidt (Chukotka) and on Kotelny Island (the New Siberian Islands). As many as 57,700 tonnes of construction materials were delivered there in the first half of the year, and 24,200 more tonnes of cargo have been prepared at ports for dispatch.

    "Currently, 1,490 workers with 337 equipment units are engaged in the construction of Spetsstroy’s facilities in the Russian Arctic zone. An additional group of 105 highly skilled workers and engineering staff will arrive at the islands soon," Spetsstroy reported. "The work is going non-stop and in two or three shifts during the polar night."

    In mid-September, Russian Northern Fleet’s Arctic brigade units landed on the Kotelny Island. They started to build a base camp. A total of 230 troops and 30 tracked vehicles were dispatched to the island. The next step will be the development of new territories: a scientific research expedition of military hydrographers in the waters near the Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya has found nine previously unknown islands in the Borzova, Sedova, Vilkitskogo and Glazova gulfs.

    Before the 1990s, Russia had a developed airfield infrastructure in the Arctic. The Defense Ministry is now actively restoring these Soviet airbases. The Temp strategic airfield on the Kotelny Island has been restored first, and now - airstrips in Tiksi, Naryan-Mar, Alykel, Anadyr Rogachev, Nagurskoe and bomber base of the Northern Fleet on the Kola Peninsula are being developed. The Russian Air Force and aerospace defense force groupings are being expanded in the Arctic. According to Air Force Commander Viktor Bondarev, "normal regiments and full divisions will be deployed there."

    In 2014, President Vladimir Putin included the defense of the country’s Arctic borders in the list of the main tasks of the Armed Forces. To this end, the Arctic Joint Strategic Command North was established in 2014 by the Russian military on the basis of the Northern Fleet, then it was reinforced with manpower and hardware from the Western, Central and Eastern Military Districts stationed in circumpolar areas. Russia is also in the process of building of 10 airfields and 13 air-defense radar stations in the New Siberian Islands, Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya and other points of Russian Arctic. The ground element of the command will incorporate two Arctic motorised infantry brigades, Air Defense forces consisting of Pantsir-S1 missile and other systems, and the Northern Fleet will become its main striking force. Furthermore, by 2017 the Tiksi airport complex will be operational, and it will be garrisoned with upgraded MiG-31 interceptors.
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    Post  Viktor Sat Oct 03, 2015 11:28 pm

    Nice thumbsup

    The latest Russian radar early warning system laid down in the Arctic, said the FSI Russian
    max steel
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    Post  max steel Fri Oct 09, 2015 12:20 am

    Arctic Militarization ‘Moot Point’ - NORAD Commander

    US head of Northern Command and Commander of NORAD Admiral William Gortney said that the Arctic has already been militarized by both the United States and Russia as an area of mutual strategic interest.

    The Arctic has already been militarized by both the United States and Russia as an area of mutual strategic interest, US head of Northern Command and Commander of the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) Admiral William Gortney said.

    "I think we already have militarized the Arctic," Gortney stated at the Atlantic Council on Wednesday.

    Responding to a question on Russian military activity in the region, Gortney said the issue of militarizing the Arctic "is a moot point."
    Gortney, who is also the Department of Defense’s chief advocate for the Arctic, noted that both the United States and Russia have ballistic missile submarines already patrolling the Arctic.

    It is possible, however, for the Arctic became a "flash point" of conflict, Gortney said.

    NORAD is tasked with controlling the aerospace warning systems to defend the North American continent. The warning system includes detection and validation of attacks by aircraft and missiles from space.

    Northern Command is charged with overseeing land, air and sea-based security with other national partners on the North American continent.




    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



    U.S. Is Playing Catch-Up With Russia in Scramble for the Arctic





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    Post  max steel Mon Oct 12, 2015 5:58 pm

    Discovery of new Arctic islands adds territory of five Monaco principalities to Russia


    Russian expedition discovers new lands in Arctic
    higurashihougi
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    Post  higurashihougi Tue Oct 13, 2015 9:13 am

    Similar news, in English, from RT

    https://www.rt.com/news/318427-arctic-science-russia-expedition/

    As if Russia weren’t already the biggest country in the world, it now appears to have added some land. No, no referendum has been held this time – a Russian Arctic naval expedition has discovered nine new (uninhabited) islands and islets.

    A total of some 10 square kilometers has been added. That’s five Monacos or 20 Vaticans.

    The biggest island discovered is 2 kilometers in length and 600 meters across – 26 times bigger than the latest island found in the Arctic, a Russian Northern Fleet official said, according to TASS news agency.

    Altogether, the 41-day scientific naval expedition discovered nine islands and islets, five straits, seven capes and four harbors. The ships Senezh and Plashkout covered about 10,000 kilometers.

    It became possible to discover new geographical territories in the well-explored Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya archipelagos due to the warming of the Arctic, which is causing the ice to melt. Many glaciers are retreating, revealing new islands which were earlier hidden. Glaciers have retreated on average by 2-5 kilometers since 1952, scientists say.
    max steel
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    Post  max steel Tue Oct 13, 2015 9:36 pm

    Siberian scientists design drone for extreme Arctic climate

    The unmanned aeral vehicle can operate at temperatures ranging from minus 40 to plus 45 degrees Celcius.Scientists of the Omsk State Technical University have created an unmanned aircraft for the work in the extreme conditions of the Arctic region, head of the university’s Experimental Design Bureau Small Unmanned Vehicles Pavel Pogarsky told TASS on Tuesday.

    "This is the third generation of UAVs, which can operate in temperatures ranging from minus 40 to plus 45 degrees with wind up to 15 meters per second, in rain and snow," Pogarsky said. Its operating range grew to 100 kilometers, flight time is 3,5 hours, flight ceiling is 5,000 meters and speed is 120 kilometers per hour.


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    max steel
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    Post  max steel Mon Oct 19, 2015 1:26 am

    Russian Military in Arctic to Get Permafrost-Resistant Office Equipment

    The Russian military will receive office equipment that is resistant to Arctic permafrost and other adverse conditions associated with sea and field missions, the equipment manufacturer said Wednesday.

    The United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation (UIMC), a part of the Rostec state technologies corporation, designed a color scanner and a thermal printer that function in extreme conditions and even upside down.

    "This equipment can work steadily at temperatures between —40 and +50 Celsius and humidity as high as 95 percent, while thermal printing ensures high quality of texts and images printed in frosty weather with minimum material consumption," UIMC Innovative Development Department Director Alexander Kalinin told RIA Novosti.

    Kalinin stated that UIMC-made office equipment provides best results when working in the open air, on wheeled or tracked vehicles, at sea and in combat.

    Two years ago, Russia unveiled a strategy to boost its presence in the Arctic, an area believed to hold huge oil and natural gas reserves. Russia has been identifying deposits within its offshore border areas, as have the United States, Canada, Norway and Denmark.
    max steel
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    Post  max steel Fri Oct 23, 2015 12:08 am

    Russia nearly done building its biggest Arctic military base

    Russia to complete creation of Arctic forces by 2018
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    Post  PapaDragon Sun Oct 25, 2015 11:08 pm


    Photo report about building new Arctic base, loads of pictures!!! russia

    I posted some on media tread before but there is plenty of fresh ones here...


    http://sdelanounas.ru/blogs/69569/

    Does anyone know what this spherical structure is for? I know it is not radar housing, too much metal and has interior frame...

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    Cowboy's daughter
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    Post  Cowboy's daughter Mon Oct 26, 2015 4:25 am

    I haven't kept up, but read this today and found it interesting!

    ARCTIC VOICE No. 11, 27 November 1996
    RUSSIAN NAVAL OFFICERS AND GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORATION IN NORTHERN RUSSIA (18TH THROUGH 20TH CENTURIES)
    By Leonid Sverdlov, Member of the Russian Geographic Society

    http://arcticcircle.uconn.edu/HistoryCulture/russianexplor.html

    avatar
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    Post  Guest Wed Nov 04, 2015 3:10 am



    Russian Arctic Military Base on Alexandra Land in the Franz Josef Archipelago
    sepheronx
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    Post  sepheronx Wed Nov 04, 2015 3:36 am

    Militarov wrote:

    Russian Arctic Military Base on Alexandra Land in the Franz Josef Archipelago

    I think that would be a pretty cool base to be stationed on.  It would probably get boring after a while, but still.
    avatar
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    Post  Guest Wed Nov 04, 2015 3:53 am

    sepheronx wrote:
    Militarov wrote:

    Russian Arctic Military Base on Alexandra Land in the Franz Josef Archipelago

    I think that would be a pretty cool base to be stationed on.  It would probably get boring after a while, but still.

    I can literally spend months inside Very Happy For me personally wouldnt be the problem.
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    Post  sepheronx Wed Nov 04, 2015 4:23 am

    Militarov wrote:
    I can literally spend months inside Very Happy For me personally wouldnt be the problem.

    the Inside looks ultra comfy as heck.  Comfy looking beds, showers, workout room, entertainment, etc.

    My father lived on an airforce base in north Manitoba at the arctic, and I believe near the one in Alaska as well back in the 80's.  Apparently he said that there were months were you just didn't leave the base at all as you couldn't (snowed in completely) and it sucked for him as he was lead technician for radar installation and maintenance so if you had to get out there, you had to find a way.
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    Post  max steel Sat Nov 07, 2015 3:30 pm

    The US Coast Guard Is (Quietly) Building Up Allies in the Arctic

    The United States Coast Guard announced Friday the creation of a new international forum for cooperation in the Arctic. Signed at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, the new Arctic Coast Guard Forum will include coast guards or similar agencies from Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and the United States.

    “Today’s historic Arctic Coast Guard Forum represents a critical step forward in our collective efforts to promote safety, security and environmentally responsible maritime activity in the Arctic,” said Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Paul Zukunft. “As the ocean becomes more accessible to human activity, all Arctic nations have committed to enhancing maritime cooperation in this remote and challenging environment.”

    The forum complements the Arctic Council, and several groups focused on Arctic business development, as nations seek to increase operations, ensure safety and security, and address common challenges in the rapidly changing region. While the Arctic Council provides a forum for high level diplomatic cooperation on Arctic issues, the Arctic Coast Guard Forum will be an operational entity to leverage collective resources and coordinate communications, operational plans, and on-the-water activity.

    An Effective Model for Cooperation

    This latest agreement is modeled on the North Pacific Coast Guard Forum and the North Atlantic Coast Guard Forum formed in 2000 and 2007. Meeting regularly, these forerunners share strategies, conduct exercises, and coordinate operations to leverage limited resources and bring each nation’s jurisdiction to bear on transnational threats.

    At the latest Pacific forum in September, representatives discussed rules of behavior when their forces operate in proximity, adopted voluntary guidelines for combined operations to guide patrols, and planned for a multi-national, multi-mission exercise. Past efforts include joint ship patrols to combat illegal high seas driftnet fishing, planning for oil spills, and security assessments.

    The Changing Arctic Environment


    The new forum comes as steadily melting Arctic ice is opening more water to seasonal maritime traffic, natural resource usage, and other activity. The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), which monitors the annual summer ice melt in the Arctic, reported that 2015 had the fourth lowest extent of ice since monitoring began in 1979 and sea ice declined 13.4 percent per decade between 1981 and 2010.

    “What we have seen this summer reinforces our conclusions that Arctic sea ice extent is in a long-term decline and that we are headed for a seasonally ice-free ocean,” said NSIDC director Mark Serreze. Since scientists began monitoring Arctic ice coverage with satellites, the nine lowest years for summer ice extent were from 2007 to 2015.

    The results of this melting include increased shipping, resource exploration, and adventure tourism. This includes Royal Dutch Shell’s exploratory drilling in the Arctic Ocean in 2012 and 2015, an 118 percent increase in maritime transits in the Bering Strait between 2008 and 2012, and plans for a cruise ship with 1,700 on board to sail next year from Alaska, through the Northwest Passage, to Greenland and New York. And this increase in activity is expected to continue.

    Lack of U.S. Capability


    Coast Guard officials and others have long warned the U.S. government does not have the equipment or infrastructure needed to respond to emergencies, enforce the U.S. exclusive economic zone, or achieve other national objectives in a more heavily traversed Arctic. The Coast Guard’s Arctic Strategy describes the operational challenges to include vast distances, extreme weather, and limited infrastructure. The closest U.S. deep water port to Barrow, Alaska, the main population center, is more than 1,100 miles away in Dutch Harbor and there are only two small commercial airports in the U.S. Arctic at Barrow and Deadhorse, Alaska.

    Other challenges include poor radio propagation, partial satellite coverage, geomagnetic interference with navigation equipment, and limited cellular networks.

    During a trip to the region in September, President Obama responded to both capability shortfalls and a lack of knowledge about the region when he announced a proposal to accelerate the building of a Coast Guard icebreaker, a new ocean charting and coastline mapping program, and additional science efforts.

    This plan is welcomed but likely only a down payment on future U.S. needs. The White House announcement compared Russia’s forty current and eleven planned icebreakers to the two operational polar icebreakers of the United States. A 2011 study of Coast Guard ice breaking requirements found the service requires between six and ten icebreakers to meet U.S. needs for polar access.

    And while breakers are important for access to ice laden waters, they are not the only need. Fort Wainwright, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, and the U.S. military air field closest to the Arctic, is more than five hundred miles from the Barrow. The closest Coast Guard air station is nearly one thousand miles away in Kodiak, Alaska. Gaps in command and control, vessel tracking and other assets will also limit the ability of the United States to provide maritime safety, security and environmental protection in the region. The Obama administration’s National Strategy for the Arctic Region recognizes this when it states that it will “intelligently evolve our Arctic infrastructure and capabilities.”

    Benefits of the Arctic Coast Guard Forum

    Through its on-the-water focus, the new forum will improve the ability of the Coast Guard and other signatories to enable safe and secure maritime activity in the Arctic, particularly given current and medium-term resource gaps. Of note, it also represents an opportunity for the eight Arctic countries to engage in a formal dialogue on security interests that is prohibited by the Arctic Council charter.

    The forum’s emphasis on cooperation promotes American desires to keep the region free from conflict, and the inclusion of Russia is an important detail. The signing of the agreement was reportedly delayed eighteen months due to Canadian objections of Russian aggression in Ukraine.

    Despite concerns with Russian actions in Europe and the Middle East, and the pending claims of Arctic seabed by member nations, the Arctic Coast Guard Forum allows a dialogue with Russia on common issues even while relations are strained elsewhere.
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    Post  George1 Wed Nov 11, 2015 12:24 am


    Sponsored content


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    Post  Sponsored content


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