Arms Control Advocates Call For Nuke-Free Arctic Zone

USS Hampton sits at the North Pole. In recent years, both the United States’ and the Royal Navy have focused interest in maintaining and improving their operational skills and capabilities in the Artic, supporting their common goal for greater flexibility. Tireless surfaced with USS Hampton (SSN-767) for ICEX 04. After three weeks underway, Hampton crewmembers were happy to meet new people. The two crews enjoyed swapping sea stories and even shared a cup of tea together. Photo from Navy.mil

Arms Control Advocates Call for Nuke-Free Arctic Zone -- Global Security Newswire

Amid growing military interest in the Arctic, a new report urges nations that border the North Pole region to declare it a nuclear weapon-free zone, the Canwest News Service reported today (see GSN, Feb. 2, 2009).

The report's authors, Michael Wallace and Steven Staples of the Canadian Pugwash Group, argue that in light of anticipated future competition over the Arctic's territory and resources, establishing the zone now would be a sensible precautionary measure that would also protect the area's environment from possible nuclear mishaps.

Read more ....

My Comment: I lived up north for a few months .... stationing nuclear weapons in that part of the world would be stupid. To begin .... it is freaking cold, and the snow/ice drifts would cover any silos. I guess one can position cruise missiles in the arctic, but there are better places that are less cold and inhospitable for such a deployment. If the intent is to prohibit nuclear subs from being in the region .... that can be done. But as far as the US and Russia is concerned .... Canada included .... the Arctic is sovereign land and it falls under their territorial reach. A nuke free zone will be ridiculed as an attempt to interfere in the sovereign rights of these countries, and it will be ignored.