{"id":47625,"date":"2022-10-26T20:12:04","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T20:12:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2022\/10\/26\/to-deter-arctic-aggression-build-the-polar-fleet-we-need\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T14:51:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T14:51:30","slug":"to-deter-arctic-aggression-build-the-polar-fleet-we-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/commentary\/2022\/10\/26\/to-deter-arctic-aggression-build-the-polar-fleet-we-need\/","title":{"rendered":"To deter Arctic aggression, build the polar fleet we need"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Winter is coming early this year in the Arctic. Last month, a Chinese and Russian joint surface action group came within 75 nautical miles of Kiska Island, Alaska<\/a>. In response, the Coast Guard mobilized a patrol to monitor the ships as they approached American home waters. A year prior, several Chinese warships had entered the U.S. exclusive economic zone off Alaska<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These repeated tests of American resolve so close to our shores should set off alarm bells in Washington. Our two greatest adversaries, China and Russia, are now cooperating on the high seas<\/a> to challenge our presence in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese and Russian attempts to gain superiority in the Arctic are not new. In 2015, five Chinese vessels marked President Barack Obama\u2019s visit to the Bering Sea with battle drills off the Alaskan coast<\/a>. Russia has long maintained a strong military presence in the Arctic<\/a>, even after the end of the Cold War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is different now, however, is that our rivals\u2019 power projection in the polar regions is outpacing our own. As a self-described \u201cnear-Arctic power,\u201d China has been working to build a \u201cPolar Silk Road<\/a>\u201d of economic and military infrastructure across the Arctic. Meanwhile, Russia is developing its already-formidable capabilities to disrupt freedom of navigation and U.S. operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If China and Russia reach their goals, the Arctic will emerge as a central theater in our respective competitions. Alaska is a vital location for monitoring Chinese and Russian missile forces. The Arctic\u2019s natural characteristics also make it ripe for space launch, reconnaissance, and energy resource capture. Losing the upper hand in the Arctic could result in our exclusion from the region militarily and economically \u2014 an ominous prospect, given the trajectory of American relations with Russia and China.<\/p>\n\n\n\t