Great power competition is accelerating in the High North, where critical emerging technologies will determine whether authoritarians or democracies rule the emerging region.
Last year, Russia and China agreed to jointly develop the region economically and militarily, effectively ending an era when cooperative efforts like the Arctic Council tried to chart a path forward. The two countries have also agreed to joint coast guard exercises, and Russia is increasingly shipping oil to China via the Arctic Ocean. Russia holds the largest landmass in the Arctic and continues to invest heavily in Arctic defense infrastructure.
Seven of the eight countries in the Arctic Council are NATO members, and given the growing challenges, thorough, long-term security planning is critical. The Pentagon has responded with an updated Arctic strategy going forward, and last year organized multiple…
