Marines with 2nd Battalion, 25th Regiment open fire upon a mock enemy force during a raid in Acrtic warfare exercise.
On May 6, 2014 Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel gave a rather interesting speech at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs where he briefly spoke about the Arctic region.
Here is some of what he had to say:
“We also must adjust our capabilities to meet new global realities, including environmental changes. Just today, the nation’s top scientists released a national climate assessment that warns us in very stark terms that the effects of climate change are already becoming quite apparent.
One area where we see this is the Arctic. The melting of gigantic ice caps presents possibilities for the opening of new sea lanes and the exploration for natural resources, energy and commerce, also with the dangerous potential for conflict in the Arctic.
The Defense Department is bolstering its engagement in the Arctic and looking at what capabilities we need to operate there in the future, as described in DOD’s first-ever Arctic strategy that I introduced at the Halifax international security forum last November”, said Hagel (source: DOD http://www.defense.gov/Speeches/Speech.aspx?SpeechID=1845).
See related report: DOD Arctic Strategy http://www.defense.gov/pubs/2013_Arctic_Strategy.pdf
See also: Navy Releases Updated Plan for Future Arctic Readinesshttp://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=79288
See report: US Navy Arctic Road map 2014-2030 http://www.navy.mil/docs/USN_arctic_roadmap.pdf
See video: RUSSIA orders ARMY to ARCTIC to prepare for NUCLEAR WARFARE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhfL7uaKrtY
See video: Russia to modify Mi 8 helicopter for Arctic warfare,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJHazFrUcV0
See also video: Russia re-opens Arctic cold war era air base http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojwcgUcZZtI