U.S. And Russia Prepare For Arctic Warfare

Photo: Army paratroopers with Alaska’s 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, snowshoe across the drop zone during Exercise Spartan Pegasus at Deadhorse, Alaska, Feb. 24, 2015. U.S. ARMY/Staff Sergeant Daniel Love​

David Axe, Reuters: Russia and America prep forces for Arctic war

President Barack Obama’s recent trip to Alaska helped draw attention to global climate change — and to the national-security tensions that could result from a warming Arctic region.

Surveyors believe that the seabed under Arctic waters could contain hundreds of billions of barrels of untapped oil. As the North Pole becomes more accessible, and so more valuable, Arctic countries — each with its own and in some cases overlapping territorial claims — are getting ready for some serious competition.

The United States and Russia are geopolitical rivals and uneasy Arctic neighbors. More and more Russian and U.S. military forces are deploying on and under the Arctic Ocean.

But Washington and Moscow are approaching their Arctic build-ups quite differently. The Kremlin holds the advantage on the ocean’s surface; the Pentagon dominates beneath the waves. Though Russia and the United States both train Arctic ground troops, Washington is also building a northern strike force of high-tech stealth warplanes.

More News On U.S. And Russia Preparing for Arctic Warfare

Russia, US Enjoy Constructive Arctic Dialogue -- Sputnik
US: Russia Building 'Arc Of Steel' From Arctic To Med -- Defense News
NATO Leader Says Russia Building ‘Arc of Steel’ in Europe -- US Department of Defense
Russia Builds ‘Arc Of Steel': Adm. Ferguson -- Breaking Defense
What Is Russia Trying To Achieve In The Arctic? -- Taimoor Khan, Vakue Walk
Avoiding the Coldest of Wars -- Oliver Watkins, European Leadership Network