MAJ. GEN. (RET.) RANDY A. KEE/U.S. AIR FORCE
The Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies (TSC) officially opened in an August 11, 2022, ceremony at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, marking an important milestone in a
U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) push to develop a network of leaders who promote its Arctic policies. Dignitaries included political and appointed leadership from the National Capital Region and Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM).
The center, which celebrates the legacy and service of the late Alaska senator, was established in statute through the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. It is the first new regional center in more than 20 years and joins the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Germany; the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii; and three in Washington D.C.: the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies and the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies.
As DOD’s regional center for the Arctic, the TSC is a tool of policy and security cooperation and is working to develop solutions to support the department’s Arctic priorities ranging from the geophysical to the geostrategic. The TSC’s mission is to build strong domestic and international networks of security leaders and promote and conduct focused research on Arctic security to advance DOD priorities. In accordance with congressional authorization and guided by “experimentation and innovation,” the center conducts executive education, research and analysis, as well as strategic engagement domestically and internationally. As described in the TSC’s charter, the center’s curricula includes new concepts in condensed tabletop exercises, workshops, seminars, and field programs for engagement and outreach.
The TSC is assigned to the Office of Arctic and Global Resilience and is principally aligned to USNORTHCOM. The Stevens Center is conducting a strategy of “building while doing” as it continues to develop from initial capacity in July 2022 to planned full capacity by the summer of 2023. FOC will include an approximately 50-person multidisciplined team of civilian and military professionals. As a DOD regional center, the TSC receives administrative support from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
In 2022, while still small and growing, the TSC made an Arcticwide impact through its education and outreach missions. Its accomplishments included graduating 550 U.S. and international students; providing a multidisciplined Arctic symposium for some 400 participants; producing two well-attended webinars; developing the Journal of Arctic and Climate Security Studies; and conducting engagement programs in Canada, Germany, Greenland and Iceland. TSC also participated in several U.S.-hosted Arctic or Arctic-included events.
The TSC is developing a “hub and network” approach for strategic engagement that will bring its programs and activities across the Arctic — from the Bering Strait in Western Alaska to Arctic Finland — through in-person and hybrid activities.
In the spirit of the Arctic raven, the TSC is respectfully incorporating aspects of the Indigenous cultures and perspectives and honoring the people of the Arctic whose history is foremost to the region. The center also celebrates the legacy of service of Sen. Stevens. Guided by new national and department strategies, the TSC is working closely with USNORTHCOM leaders to support the commander’s theater missions to analyze risks, provide solutions, and strengthen U.S., allied and partner Arctic capabilities. While it is still in the early days for the center, the small but growing team is honored to support USNORTHCOM in those efforts for the North American Arctic while also serving DOD mission needs in policy and security cooperation across the trans-Atlantic Arctic with U.S. allies and partners.