Many countries are actively preparing for a possible military confrontation in the Arctic, including the United States, which has recently repeatedly rewritten its strategy in this region, writes the National Interest.
According to the author of the article, Chris Osborne, “no one wants to arrange shooting next to polar bears and penguins,” but the Pentagon is concerned about the creation of new strategic opportunities for a number of states due to melting ice.
Recently, the US Marine Corps conducted an exercise with the Norwegian military to improve performance in harsh weather conditions. As the expert noted, the military alliance between Washington and Oslo in the Arctic means a lot for the Pentagon, which seeks to oppose the achievements of Moscow in this region, which today not only owns a large number of icebreakers, but also works on the Northern Sea Route.
“Russia has built military bases in the Arctic, as well as conducted many training operations in this region, a series of maneuvers that provoked the United States to significantly increase its activity in the Arctic in order to counterbalance its strategic influence”, – the author said.
The opening of new waterways due to the high rate of ice melting in the region forced Washington to accelerate work. In particular, the US Navy called on specialists to create weapons systems that are resistant to the harsh climate. The Office of Naval Research, in turn, has resorted to underwater drones to study the Arctic water column in order to better understand temperature fluctuations and their impact on military operations.