The Arctic Institute's Reaction to the 2019 Department of Defense (DoD) Arctic Strategy
Contacts:
Malte Humpert, Washington, D.C.
malte.humpert@thearcticinstitute.org – +1 202 352 8162
Victoria Herrmann, Washington, D.C.
victoria.herrmann@thearcticinstitute.org – +1 201 247 9352
Ryan Uljua, Boston, MA
ryan.uljua@thearcticinstitute.org, +1 (202) 350-1384
Andreas Østhagen, Oslo, Norway
andreas.osthagen@thearcticinstitute.org, +47 473 30 349
**** The Department of Defense’s Arctic Strategy is an important update to the U.S.’ strategic objectives, goals, and priorities, and acknowledges that there are many Arctics to secure: the American homeland, the shared region, and the economic corridor. ****
Washington D.C., June 7, 2019 – In response to the 2019 Department of Defense (DoD) Arctic Strategy The Arctic Institute’s Founder and a Senior Fellow, Malte Humpert, explained: “The new Arctic Strategy represents a continuation of Secretary of State Pompeo’s remarks from May 2019, which highlighted increasing tension with Russia and China in the Arctic. The U.S. sees the Arctic as a region of growing uncertainty with a complex and potentially problematic security environment.”
He further elaborated: “While the 2016 Arctic strategy highlighted the collaborative nature of the region, the U.S. now sees the Arctic ‘in an era of strategic competition.’ The U.S. identifies the Arctic as a corridor connecting the country’s two primary theaters of engagement, the Indo-Pacific and Europe, to the U.S. homeland and reiterates that Russia and China are attempting to challenge the rules-based order in the Arctic.”
Dr. Victoria Herrmann, The Arctic Institute’s President and Managing Director, stated: “For America to truly address geopolitical threats in the North and accept its duties as an Arctic nation, the U.S. must lead on climate action within its own Arctic space and across borders. Put bluntly, the Trump Administration’s climate silence situates America as a weak Arctic power, undermining its own national, energy, and economic security and simultaneously limiting its role as a respected leader across the Arctic.”
She also noted, “It is now up to America’s civilian leadership to mirror DoD’s military strategy with a human-centered approach to push America further into its still-unrealized Arctic leadership position through climate action, equitable economic investments, and scientific diplomacy.”
Ryan Uljua, Senior Fellow at The Arctic Institute, stated: “While expected, the starkest departure from the previous Obama-era Arctic defense strategy is the increased focus on China as a strategic competitor in the Arctic. Whereas the 2016 document only acknowledged China as one of the dozen Arctic Council Observers States, this new strategy includes over 20 direct references to China’s activities and growing influence in the Arctic. Notably, the Pentagon’s strategy focuses on China’s use of strategic investments to gain economic leverage in the region as well as its attempts to influence Arctic governance.”
Andreas Østhagen, Senior Fellow at The Arctic Institute, stated: “The Strategy follows the trend in current thinking on Arctic security, clearly separating between the North American and European Arctic domains. It is a recognition that the U.S. must have its own house in order – by investing in its Arctic capabilities and further develop NORAD with Canada – while simultaneously partake in the European Arctic security environment (the High North) through NATO exercises and direct cooperation with Norway and the UK especially.”
He further noted: “The DoD’s Strategy is also the first US Government Arctic statement that explicitly highlights, and even warns about, the Arctic region being utilized by both Russian and China for “strategic competition” that might undermine American interests in the region. The DoD warns of increased Russian military expenditure in the Arctic, as well as growing Chinese interest linked to its claim of being a “Near Arctic State”; a claim that the DoD refutes. In turn, this Strategy must also be understood as a call for more investments in military capabilities and infrastructure, in conjunction with the recently released Coast Guard Strategy for the Arctic.”