R&I – FS
America’s most active services in the region have a four-part plan to support the National Defense Strategy.
Generations of military leaders and planners have understood that the Arctic is a region of immense geostrategic significance and a critical location for protecting the homeland and projecting global power. Today, the Department of the Air Force implemented a new Arctic Strategy to maintain regional stability and protect American strategic interests.
The strategy details how the U.S. Air Force and Space Force will organize, train, and equip Airmen and Space Professionals, in cooperation with Joint Force teammates, allies, and partners, to achieve four imperatives aligned with the National Defense Strategy:
Maintain vigilance through weather forecasts, constant communications, threat detection, and target tracking.
Project combat-credible air and space power.
Cooperate with allies and partners to enhance interoperability and expand deterrence.
Prepare and train for Arctic operations.
The need for the new Arctic Strategy is clear. Like space, today’s Arctic is accessible to more nations, for more commercial activity, and during more days of the year than ever.
The Arctic is the keystone for global power projection. Often unrecognized, Alaska offers the quickest flight access from mainland United States to locations across much of the Pacific region and western Russia. Additionally, with polar ice melting, new and more efficient maritime routes are opening, which is increasing accessibility to Arctic natural resources such as oil and gas reserves and rare earth metals. This is also driving an uptick in commercial traffic and international competition, including from China.
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Bugs Marlowe
Article URL : https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2020/07/us-air-force-space-force-introduce-new-arctic-strategy/167088/?oref=d-channelriver