The new US Arctic strategy shows its hegemonic intentions
2024-08-10
한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina
Continue to expand military capabilities and surveillance activities in the Arctic region and conduct related military exercises.
The new US Arctic strategy shows its hegemonic intentions
■Yang Zhen and Li Lun
A U.S. Coast Guard ship transits the Arctic.
The US military in the "Arctic Edge-2024" joint exercise.
The U.S. Department of Defense recently released the Arctic Strategy 2024, which is the first update to the Arctic strategy since 2019. The new Arctic strategy claims that it will expand the U.S. military capabilities and surveillance activities in the Arctic region, increase investment in high-tech sensors, radar systems and a range of military equipment to ensure that the Arctic will not become a "strategic blind spot."
In recent years, as global climate change intensifies, it has become more convenient to open shipping routes, extract energy and deploy military forces in the Arctic. The strategic value of the Arctic region has become increasingly prominent and has attracted the attention of more and more countries. The United States has also attached more and more importance to this extremely cold land, from appointing its first Arctic ambassador, to unilaterally announcing its claim to extend the continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean and other regions, to holding military exercises such as "Arctic Challenge-2023" with many countries. In order to seek Arctic hegemony, the United States has continuously stepped up its strategic deployment in the Arctic region, exacerbated the militarization trend in the Arctic region, and made the security situation in the Arctic region more severe.
Full of confrontational colors
"The United States is an Arctic nation, and the region is vital to defending our homeland and protecting the United States." The 18-page report exaggerates the important strategic position of the Arctic, describing it as a "region of great strategic significance" to the United States, including "the northern passage to the homeland" and "important U.S. defense infrastructure", which shows that the Arctic's ranking in the U.S. foreign policy sequence is constantly rising.
The report mainly consists of three parts, namely, the interests of the United States in the Arctic, the strategic environment of the Arctic, and how to deal with the so-called "new challenges". The report proposes that in order to maintain its competitive advantage with China and Russia in this key region, the United States needs to increase investment. The U.S. Department of Defense will strengthen the combat capabilities of the U.S. military in the Arctic, especially its regional situational awareness, communications, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities; it will ensure the United States' deserved interests in the Arctic by regularly training in the Arctic and conducting conventional operations that are critical to maintaining deterrence and homeland defense. The report also emphasizes the need for the United States to strengthen cooperation with NATO allies such as Canada in the Arctic. It mentions that the United States and its allies plan to put into use more than 250 advanced multi-purpose military aircraft capable of performing missions in the Arctic by 2030.
It can be said that the entire report is full of confrontational colors. Even when releasing this document, US Department of Defense officials openly claimed that Russia poses a "serious threat" to the security and stability of the Arctic region. To this end, the United States must formulate a strategy and ensure that the US military is prepared to reduce the risk of potential conflicts in the Arctic region.
It is worth noting that, unlike previous Arctic strategies, the Arctic Strategy 2024 proposes specific measures and plans for controlling the Arctic and identifies areas that require continued investment, especially in key capabilities. Analysts point out that once these measures and plans are implemented, they will establish the United States' strategic advantage in the region.
The intention is clear
In essence, this is a strategic report to maintain US hegemony. The US intends to monopolize the Arctic region and build a "northern backyard". Its specific intentions are as follows:
Seeking its own interests. The reason behind the United States' accelerated deployment in the Arctic is that it sees the growing strategic and economic value of the Arctic. The continental and island areas of the Arctic total about 8 million square kilometers, rich in oil, natural gas, coal and a large number of rare minerals, especially lithium for battery manufacturing and tellurium for solar cell manufacturing. At the same time, the Arctic and the Arctic Ocean have the shortest route connecting Asia, Europe and North America. As the Arctic warms up and the sea ice melts, the Arctic route will become a golden waterway.
Gain competitive advantage. The skies above the Arctic are the best path for intercontinental ballistic missiles and strategic bombers, and the thick ice also provides good protection for the stealthy navigation of submarines. After the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis, the importance of the Arctic's geopolitical status has become increasingly prominent. Under the guidance of the "great power competition" mentality, the United States attempts to further build a strategic encirclement of Russia by strengthening its political and military presence in the Arctic and strengthening cooperation with European countries to jointly develop and govern the Arctic. At the same time, in order to serve its Asia-Pacific strategy, the United States also attempts to build a northern wing base and springboard in the Arctic region to project military forces to the Asia-Pacific region.
Strengthen the alliance system. The Arctic region is an important part of the United States' global strategic layout. In order to maintain and consolidate the network of alliances, the United States also regards the Arctic as an important platform for strengthening cooperation with its allies. It attempts to use the NATO platform to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation with its allies in the Arctic region and establish a complex alliance network in the Arctic game. The United States also attempts to lead its allies to establish new mechanisms, rules and procedures in the Arctic region, and even formulate exclusive and discriminatory standards to set up obstacles for specific countries to participate in Arctic affairs in order to establish its own dominant position and Arctic hegemony.
Intensifying regional competition
At present, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Red Sea crisis have erupted simultaneously, and international peace has encountered huge challenges. The United States has released an ambitious Arctic strategy report and continues to strengthen its military presence and resource investment in the Arctic, which will bring more uncertainty to the order in the Arctic region and intensify the military game in the Arctic region.
In recent years, following the footsteps of the United States, many circumpolar countries and even non-Arctic countries have set their sights on the Arctic, and the cold Arctic has become increasingly "hot" due to military games. In 2019, after the U.S. Department of Defense issued the "Arctic Strategy", Canada also issued the "Canadian Arctic and Northern Policy Framework" in the same year. Britain and France have also successively issued their own Arctic military strategies. Britain's first Arctic military strategy, "Britain's Defense Contribution in the Arctic", requires the British Army to strengthen its operations in the Arctic and enhance its Arctic-related capabilities. France's first polar strategy, "Balancing the Polar: France's Polar Strategy before 2030", stated that it would "discuss and coordinate relevant issues in the military field" and so on.
In addition, for Russia, the largest Arctic country in geographical terms, the Arctic has extraordinary strategic significance and is a place that it must fight for and maintain. Against the backdrop of the continued protracted Ukrainian crisis, the United States' accelerated military deployment in the Arctic region is bound to arouse Russia's high vigilance and tough countermeasures. The intensification of hostility between the United States and Russia will lead to a more severe security situation in the Arctic region.
As one of the few regions on Earth that is less affected by human activities, the Arctic needs to be protected. The Arctic should be a platform for cooperation and development, not a "battlefield" full of gunpowder. The United States, for its own selfish interests, has stepped up its strategic deployment in the Arctic and constantly sought excuses for militarizing the Arctic, which will only intensify competition and will not be conducive to regional peace, stability and cooperation.
(All photos in this article are archive photos)
(Source: China Military Network-Liberation Army Daily)
