U.S. Needs To Improve Arctic Ops, Report Says
Significant climate changes in the Arctic region are creating a potential military, economic and geopolitical battle zone for which U.S. naval forces appear to be woefully unprepared, according to a new report by the National Academies.
The U.S. Navy and Coast Guard should substantially upgrade parts of their fleets to prepare for the disputes over boundaries, natural resources and travel routes that will likely result from the thinning and shrinking polar cap ice coverage caused by climate changes, according to the report, released March 10.
While Navy anti-submarine warfare (ASW) assets appear to be in better shape, the report recommends that those operations be improved as well. “Even the most moderate current trends in climate, if continued, will present new national security challenges for the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard,” the report says. “Many changes are already under way in regions around the world, such as in the Arctic, and call for action by U.S. naval leadership.”
The report adds: “The Arctic is experiencing dramatic effects due to recent trends in global climate, including significant reductions in sea-ice cover in the Arctic Ocean and the disappearance of older, thicker, multiyear ice.”
The U.S. Geological Survey, the report notes, has reported that significant natural resources “may become available for exploitation as ice melts and climate tempers.” A global battle could begin for those resources. “Although the likelihood of conflict in the Arctic is low,” the report says, “it cannot be ruled out, and competition in the region is a given.”
Further, there is a high likelihood that a warming climate will increase the operational tempo in the polar region, intensifying demands on navigation systems, communication systems and nautical charts. And the report questions whether U.S. forces are ready for the challenge.
“In the post-Cold War era, the U.S. Navy has had a very limited surface ship presence in true northern latitude, cold-weather conditions,” the report says. “The U.S. military as a whole has lost most of its competence in cold-weather operations for high-Arctic warfare.”
The Navy’s operational infrastructure in the region is “severely limited versus the growing security demands in this increasingly accessible maritime domain,” the report says.
Even gaining access is an issue. “The nation has very limited icebreaker capability, which could limit the U.S. ability to train, operate, and engage in the Arctic,” the report says.
The lack of funding for operation and maintenance of the country’s polar icebreaker fleet has “substantially diminished” those U.S. Coast Guard operations, the report says, quoting a 2007 study.
“U.S. national icebreaker assets are old, obsolete, and under the control of another agency that does not have a national security operational mandate,” the report says. “Future [Coast Guard] missions in the Arctic will require autonomy and command of their vessels.”
Photo: US Navy
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