How Polar Security and Space Security are Linked—and Why the US Coast Guard Should Bridge the Gap
Michael Sinclair | 04.14.21
How Polar Security and Space Security are Linked—and Why the US Coast Guard Should Bridge the Gap
Two weeks into his administration, President Joe Biden delivered his first public speech on US foreign policy and national security. It covered a lot of ground and signaled the direction the administration intends to move—renewed focus on the value of alliances, reinvigorated support of nations that share our democratic ideals, placing front and center the shared security risks of global climate change, and a continuation of prioritizing answers to the unique challenges posed by China and Russia. Despite the absence of a direct polar reference in the administration’s interim national security strategy, emphasizing US interest and activity in the Arctic and increasingly the Antarctic furthers all of these goals and the means to do so is through keeping the foot on the gas of the Coast Guard’s Polar Security Cutter (PSC) program.
The Arctic and the Antarctic Are Not the Same . . .
As a starting point, it’s easy to conflate Arctic issues and needs with Antarctic issues and needs. In fact, though, the Arctic and the Antarctic share little in common, beyond being geographically isolated and really cold, and thus really challenging to operate in. The operational Arctic is comprised largely of ice, although there is certainly some land, all with sovereign masters. And while there are several multilateral arrangements in place in the Arctic, such as the Arctic Council, there is no overarching treaty system like there is in the Antarctic, which also differs from the Arctic in that there is a large swath of nonsovereign land to contend with.
https://mwi.usma.edu/how-polar-security-and-space-security-are-linked-and-why-the-us-coast-guard-should-bridge-the-gap/
