The Navy and the High North
Proceedings Magazine - July 2018
By Lieutenant Commander Rachael Gosnell, U.S.
Navy
The Navy has been present in the Arctic since the USS Nautilus (SSN-571) first ventured to the North Pole in 1958, albeit primarily in the undersea and air domains. While the region was of tremendous strategic importance during the Cold War, the years that followed saw diminished geopolitical interest. However, regional warming trends, combined with the potential for vast economic resources, have sparked global interest. While the Arctic has long been considered a peaceful and stable region, the Navy must seek to better understand the Arctic and to build greater capacity for operations there to ensure continued protection of U.S. strategic interests—and those of our allies—in the High North.
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2018-07/navy-and-high-north
