U.S. Policy for the Arctic and the Nation's Ability to Sustain Global Leadership

Abstract

The Arctic region is experiencing rapid and extraordinary environmental changes, and several Arctic coastal nations have declared the Arctic a main strategic area due to vast resources, increased activity and unsolved disputes in territorial claims. This paper evaluates the U.S. Arctic policy, and considers whether it is aligned with Norwegian policy for the region. The content of U.S. and Norwegian policy documents are very much aligned, but the implementation of the policies differ between the nations. Norway has invested extensively in Arctic defense capabilities and increased its military activity in the region, while the United States to a limited degree follows up its stated policy objectives. The two nations have the same approach to international cooperation in the region, but the United States has not ratified the UNCLOS. To sustain its global leadership and to ensure stability in the Arctic, the United States should revitalize its Arctic policy and make sure NATO addresses the potential Arctic security challenges.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2013
Accession Number
ADA589320

Entities

People

  • Ingred M. Gjerde

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Arctic Regions
  • Climate Change
  • Coast Guard
  • Environmental Protection
  • European Union
  • Foreign Relations
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Marine Transportation
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Ridges
  • Treaties
  • United States
  • War Colleges

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Economics
  • Polar and Arctic Studies