Nordic Allies Help Navy Improve Ship Ops in Icy Waterways as Arctic Competition Heats Up
4 Feb 2021
Military.com | By Patricia Kime
In 2019, 10 Russian submarines plied the waters of the Arctic and the Barents Sea -- egresses to the Atlantic Ocean where they "exercise their ability to hold Europe and the continental United States at risk with land-attack missiles," said Adm. Robert Burke, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and Allied Joint Command Naples.
And China, 900 nautical miles south of the Arctic Circle, has made it no secret that it wants to tap into what it calls "the Polar Silk Road's" natural resources, along with investment opportunities and commercial traffic potential as the polar ice caps melt. It has even declared itself a "near-Arctic state."
To deal with "increasingly aggressive intentions" by Russia and exploitation of the environmental resources by others in the fragile, remote Arctic, the U.S. is forging strong partnerships with regional and allied partners and matching adversaries' presence in the region, Burke said Tuesday during a virtual presentation hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the U.S. Naval Institute.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/02/04/nordic-allies-help-navy-improve-ship-ops-icy-waterways-arctic-competition-heats.html
