West Coast-based Naval Special Warfare operators conduct high-altitude, cold weather mountaineering training during Arctic Edge 23, near Chickaloon, Alaska, in May 2023. Arctic Edge 23 provides an opportunity to demonstrate the ability to deploy Naval Special Warfare operators to the Arctic and develop skills for operating in austere environments. THE WATCH STAFF United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and U.S. Special Operations Command North (SOCNORTH) are rapidly deploying and exercising Special Operations Forces in Alaska as part of Operation Polar Dagger. Operating across several remote locations in August 2023, U.S. Special Operations Forces will demonstrate joint force readiness and development, extreme…
The Watch
Dignitaries including U.S. Charge d’Affaires Usha E. Pitts, Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis, third from left, and USNORTHCOM Lt. Gen. A.C. Roper, fourth from left, cut a ceremonial cake June 30, 2023. THE WATCH STAFF The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp sailed into Nassau for a three-day visit on June 28, 2023, to help the Bahamas commemorate both a half-century of independence and regional partnership with the United States. The highlight of the Wasp’s port call was a June 30 reception onboard the U.S. Navy vessel’s flight deck to honor the special occasion and the close partnership between both countries.…
The Watch Staff U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) with allies and partners continuously monitor Russian activities in the Indo-Pacific. The combatant commands comprise a crucial part of the globally integrated layered defense (GILD) network, which spans all regional boundaries and domains, enabling the seamless monitoring of global Russian maritime operations. In his 2023 Congressional testimony, Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, commander of the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) and USNORTHCOM, stated, “Within the last year, Russia has also placed their Severodvinsk-class submarines in the Pacific… And it is just a matter of probably a year or…
The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Ship Fairweather docks in front of Hubbard Glacier off the coast of Alaska. The hydrographic survey vessel primarily maps coastal waters to update nautical charts and mainly operates in Alaskan coastal waters. LT. CMDR. DAMIAN MANDA/NOAA TROY J. BOUFFARD AND DR. RYAN BURKE The White House in early October 2022 released its new National Strategy for the Arctic Region (NSAR), a significant update since the 2013 inaugural edition. A few days later, the 2022 National Security Strategy (NSS) was released with Arctic-specific priority language included for the first time. Near the end of the…
A personnel carrier loaded with Russian troops enters the town of Gori during Russia’s 2008 invasion of Georgia, a precursor to current events in Ukraine. AFP/GETTY IMAGES ROB HUEBERT/UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Many have treated Russia’s renewed attack on Ukraine in February 2022 as if this is new behavior by the Russian state. Several Western leaders acted as if the invasion took them by surprise. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. Russian militarization, especially within its Arctic region, is traceable to at least 2005 if not earlier. Russia’s recent actions in Ukraine are only part of a long-term approach…
A Chinese paramilitary police border guard trains in Heilongjiang province on the border with Russia. AFP/GETTY IMAGES MARC LANTEIGNE/UiT THE ARCTIC UNIVERSITY OF NORWAY Although the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 did not directly affect the geopolitics of the Arctic, strategic spillover from that conflict into the High North has been easy to detect. With the Arctic now being more directly incorporated into NATO’s strategic interests and with the alliance expanding to include Finland and potentially Sweden, there has been a de facto bifurcation of the Arctic into Western and Russian zones. The Arctic Council remains in near-abeyance,…
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…
The F-35 fighter represents a new model of international cooperation, ensuring the security of the U.S. and its partners well into the 21st century. TECH SGT. ADAM KEELE/U.S. AIR NATIONAL GUARD The barren and unforgiving Arctic terrain of the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex (JPARC) is where the United States military and its allies train in extreme conditions. High above the vast landscape that is the size of the U.S. state of Indiana, the world’s most advanced warplane — the F-35A II Lightning stealth fighter — conducts operations. The multirole F-35A II rules its domain no matter the environment. “We…
Naval Special Warfare operators perform a high-altitude low-opening jump during operation Arctic Edge 2022 in Alaska. DoD Courtesy Photo DR. JAMES R. MORTON JR./UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS The rear ramp of the C-130 drops down, allowing a stinging minus 70-degree wind to overwhelm the aircraft cabin as a handful of U.S. Navy SEALs prepare to conduct a military free fall (MFF). The SEAL team’s objective is to link up with a U.S. Navy submarine that is breaching the ice cover on the Arctic Ocean. They have learned how to protect themselves from such extreme cold weather and ensure their equipment…
Pilots and ground crew prepare F-35A Lightning II aircraft to participate in Operation Noble Defender at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. NORAD At the top of the world, the United States and its allies are enforcing a bottom line: They will deter and defend North America from threats. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) conducted Operation Noble Defender from January 15 through January 31, 2023. Noble Defender is a series of operations that demonstrate the capability and intention to defend North America from attacks along the Arctic avenue of approach. Noble Defender demonstrated…