The Los Angeles-class submarine USS Annapolis on the surface of the Arctic Ocean after breaking through the ice (AFP Photo/Mc1 Tiffini M. Jones)
AFP: Arctic attracting new military scrutiny
Fairbanks (United States) (AFP) - In 2013, US President Barack Obama said the Arctic was "peaceful, stable, and free of conflict" as he laid out a national strategy for the region.
But just two years later, the rapid retreat of ocean ice cover, a newly emboldened Russia and the covetous gaze of nations keen to exploit new shipping lanes and vast mineral wealth are putting the Arctic's longstanding stability under pressure.
"The Arctic is a region that is getting more and more important," US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Friday as he visited troops at Fort Wainwright in the Alaskan city of Fairbanks, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of the Arctic Circle.
WNU Editor: Russian news sites and social media are filled with stories on how Russia is building a permanent military presence in the Arctic. As for the U.S. .... they are more focused on cutting back their presence in the north ... with little if any coverage. Same situation .... two different priorities ... who is right? My money is on Russia.
2 comments:
A was in a los Angeles submarine one's in the mid/nineties an incredible machine indeed.
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