Canada's "Arctic Storm Rising"
Alan Goulding
???? Information Technology Senior Business Platform Analyst : Retired from Manulife. Family Historian and Biographer.
Part 1 of 6: At issue - Arctic Security and Defence
A series of articles shedding light on Canada's military status in defence of the nation's sovereignty.
Retreating sea ice due to global warming has led to increased economic interest and activity in the Arctic.
Retreating ice in the region and the development of geopolitical, technological, economic and environmental interests is demanding far greater attention from not only the eight Arctic nations — Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States — but from foreign actors who have declared themselves as near-arctic states, such as China, India and Japan.
In 1925, the Republic of China's interest in the Arctic was apparent with its signing in 1925 of the Spitsbergen Treaty, and has ever since maintained an interest in the region.
To support its scientific expeditions in the Arctic, China built of the Yellow River Research Station on Svalbard in 2004.
Their 12th Arctic scientific expedition was completed in 2021 with the successful deployment of its indigenously constructed icebreaker, the Xuelong?2, which entered service in 2019.
Collaboratively, Russia has increasingly relied on Chinese technology and economic investment to further its own ambitions in the Arctic.
In a speech on 18 October 2023 at the "Belt and Road" Infrastructure Forum hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, Putin praised Xi’s multibillion-dollar investment fund, and made a case by calling on countries from Asia, Africa, Europe and even South America for investment in the Northern Passage.
Russia's ambitions in the Arctic have grown rapidly in recent years.
Strategic air defence bases on the Kola Peninsula and the presence of Russia’s most advanced fleet, the Northern Fleet, are viewed as a critical capabilities that have enabled greater national security, nuclear deterrence, and a dominance in the region.
Satellite images have revealed the Russian navy’s massive rearmament on Kola Peninsula.
The peninsula’s location serves as a gateway between the Arctic and the North Atlantic, and its extensive military assets make it central to Russia’s homeland defence and power projection capabilities.
The Northern Fleet's main administrative headquarters and main base are located in Severomorsk, Murmansk Oblast, with secondary bases on the coast of the Barents Sea along the Kola Bay.
The status of the Northern Fleet was elevated to that of a military district in January 2020 by Putin. It is the only Russian fleet to attain such a status — in recognition of its important strategic role.
During the Cold War the threat of nuclear strikes saw the super-powers of the U.S. and then Soviet Union race to gain Arctic air and maritime superiority.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, concern over nuclear confrontation had diminished in the high Arctic.
But since the decline of the Arctic summer sea ice area, an interest in the region has once again come to the forefront for new geopolitical reasons, and U.S. and Canadian national interests and protectionism have taken a front seat.
With the opening up of the Arctic due to melting ice, the growing significance of Russia's Northwest Passage as a valuable trading route is evident with the increased strengthening of military bases and opening of gas and oil fields in close proximity.
Putin hopes to monetize the Northwest Passage in the years to come, along with USD $30 trillion in natural resources.
Eight countries – Canada, Denmark (through Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States (through Alaska) – hold title to land in the Arctic.
Given our extensive Arctic coastline, our Northern energy and natural resource potential, and the 40 percent of our land mass situated in the North, Canada is an Arctic power.
Five countries, the U.S., Canada, Russia, Denmark (through Greenland) and Norway, also possess territorial seas extending 12 nautical miles north of their coastlines. These countries have full sovereignty over their territorial seas, and exclusive economic zones (EEZs) stretching 200 nautical miles beyond the limits of their territorial seas.
Beyond these zones, the waters of the Arctic Ocean belong to the international community, just like the North Pole.
Three disputed areas in the high Arctic involve claims by the U.S., Canada, Russia and Denmark . . . the Northwest Passage (U.S. vs Canada - disputed since 1969), Beaufort Sea (U.S. vs Canada - disputed since 2004), and the Lomonosov Ridge (Canada vs Denmark vs Russia - disputed since 2014).
Claims to Hans Island, a fourth area disputed since 1973 by Canada and Denmark was resolved 14 June 2022, when both countries agreed to split the Hans Island roughly in half.
Canada-US: While Canada and the U.S. continue to dispute how to divide the Beaufort Sea and the status of the Northwest Passage, the two countries continue to work cooperatively to survey the Arctic continental shelf
Canada and U.S. compete over claims to Arctic sea floor as the U.S. initiates its Extended Continental Shelf Claims.
On Tuesday 19 December 2023 the U.S. filed its extended continental shelf claim with the United Nations agency that evaluates such requests.
As expected, it includes a large chunk of the Beaufort Sea floor that Canada also seeks to control.
About the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf Project.
A large part of the overlap concerns how the border should be drawn.
Canada wants it extended directly north from the 141st meridian while the U.S. says it should be drawn at a 90-degree angle from the shoreline.
Under the UN treaty addressing Oceans and the Law of the Sea, countries have the right to manage the environment and develop natural resources on the ocean floor if they can prove their continental shelf extends more than 200 nautical miles, or about 370 kilometres, from their coast and is a natural extension of the continent.
Rights to an extended continental shelf don't include control over matters such as fisheries or shipping.
Joint Statement on creation of Joint Task Force to negotiate Beaufort Sea Boundary
In a Joint Statement issued 24 September 2024 by the Governments of the United States of America and Canada, the creation of a joint U.S. – Canada task force was announced to undertake negotiations on the maritime boundary in the Beaufort Sea including resolving the overlap in the continental shelf in the Central Arctic Ocean. The area at issue being situated north of Alaska, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories.
Settlement of Beaufort Sea boundary dispute must involve Inuvialuit
Duane?Ningaqsiq?Smith, the chair of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC) in the N.W.T. has stated that he expects his organization to?be involved as Canada and the U.S. negotiate a long-standing?boundary dispute in the Beaufort Sea, as negotiations could directly affect?the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR), if the international maritime boundary were to change as defined by?the Inuvialuit Final Agreement of 1984.
Rob Huebert, a University of Calgary professor who specializes in Arctic defence and security, calls the?Inuvialuit?role in any Beaufort Sea negotiations "one of the most significant unknowns" right now.?
Rob Huebert, a University of Calgary professor who specializes in Arctic defence and security, believes there's a push to settle the boundary dispute now because of a growing realization that both Russia and China are becoming more active in the Arctic region. He says it's important to ensure there are no "irritants" between Canada and the U.S.
NORAD modernization
In June?2022, Defence Minister Anita Anand announced Canada's $38.6 billion plan to modernize North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD)over the next two decades. This is the largest investment (Investment Fact Sheet) in Canada's NORAD capabilities in a generation.
This $38.6 billion of funding over twenty years on an accrual basis for NORAD modernization is broken down into five inter-related areas of investment:
NORAD modernization is a long term project and these funds will support NORAD and the Canadian Armed Forces' ability to protect Canadians against new and emerging military threats to Canada and North America more broadly.
Specific investments will include, among other initiatives, new radar stations, command and control upgrades, additional air-to-air refueling aircraft, advanced air-to-air missiles for fighter jets, upgrades to Canadian Armed Forces’ infrastructure in the North, and additional funding to complete and augment key space projects.
This comes as Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish Nordic defence plans also prioritize the North by strengthening security and defence cooperation in a trilateral Statement of Intent (SOI) signed in Sweden on 22 November 2022. The three like-minded countries all share borders in the Arctic.
P?l Jonson, Sweden’s defence minister, during the Warsaw Security Forum Wednesday 4 October 2023 stated that “We’re cognizant of the fact Russia is retaking a lot of positions that they used to have in the Arctic . . . there is a degree of militarization . . . and we have to respond to that.”
Sweden has taken decisive action to counter Russia’s growing presence in the Arctic region by increasing land forces in the northern part of the Nordic country and expanding military cooperation with Finland and Norway.
P?l Jonson continued . . . “Our natural response [to Russia’s military build up in the Arctic] has been beefing up our military presence in the northern part of Sweden, reestablishing garrisons and regiment detachments, beefing up our Army Rangers . . . we’re also extending cooperation especially between Sweden, Norway and Finland up in in the high north and all of us are going to also be part of integrated missile and air defence system collaboration, and I think that’s also going to strengthen NATO.”
NORAD Change of Command Announcement
Announced on 5 February 2024, United States Air Force (USAF) General Gregory M. Guillot took command of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (US NORTHCOM), replacing USAF General GlenD. VanHerck, during a ceremony held at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Four Russian military aircraft enter the Alaskan ADIZ the day after the NORAD announcement.
Immediately following the formal Change of Command, NORAD detected and tracked four Russian military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on February 6, 2024.
The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace. This Russian activity in the Alaska ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat.
An ADIZ begins where sovereign airspace ends and is a defined stretch of international airspace that requires the ready identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security.
Russia's Defence Ministry stated shortly after that two of its Tu-95MC strategic bombers flew over waters near the U.S. state of Alaska, but said they stayed in international airspace.
Two Tu-95MCs, known as Bears by NATO, flew for about 9 hours, escorted by two SU-30SM fighter jets. They flew over the Bering and Chukchi Seas, Russia's defense ministry said.
"The flight was carried out in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace," said Lieutenant General Sergei Kobylash, Commander of Russian long–range aviation.
Russia's militarization of the Arctic Region
In an interview with CNN, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that despite the recent stalemate in Ukraine, there is now “a significant Russian military build-up in the high north,” and that with the recent tensions amongst NATO members, the alliance must “double its presence” in response. For Russia, basing forces in the Arctic would have posed more of a threat to North America. But the hostile climate between Russia and Ukraine precluded such a plan.
5 June 2023 - Over the course of about five hours, two Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers flew in international airspace over?the Barents and Norwegian Seas. Accompanied by four MiG-31 fighter jets, as well as two II-78 tanker aircraft, the group was identified by Norwegian F-35 fighter jets.
Chinese and Russian bombers observed patrolling off Alaska
24 July 2024 - For the first time Russian and Chinese bombers flew together in international airspace off the coast of Alaska. The flight was seen as expanding military cooperation between the two countries which U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin commented had raised concerns.
The flight of two Russian Tu-95s and two Chinese H-6s entered what is known as the Alaska Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ).
It was the first time that Chinese bomber aircraft had flown within the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone. It was also the first time Chinese aircraft had taken off from the same base in northeast Russia along with Russian aircraft.
The flights Wednesday 24 July 2024 were not considered a threat, and the bombers were tracked and intercepted by U.S. and Canadian fighter jets.
Pentagon's updated Arctic Strategy
During the same week U.S. and Canadian air force fighters intercepted several Russian and Chinese bombers in international airspace near the coast of Alaska, the Pentagon released an updated Arctic Strategy warning of low-level Russian "destabilizing" activities in the Far North aimed at the United States, Canada and its allies.
The 18-page assessment also draws attention to increased naval co-operation in the region between Moscow and Beijing.
Russian staging bases and bounce airdromes
Since the end of the Cold War Russia has been slowly working on an advanced logistical network in the Arctic through a combination of staging bases and airfields (Bounce airdromes) under the control of the OGA (Arctic Control Group), supported by large scale radar installations, as well as defensive and offensive weapons systems. In more recent years this work has ramped up dramatically.
In its entirety, the network will support the extension of inter-continental long-range flight during a time of conflict.
Tiksi Air Defence Site
As a Tactical Forward Air Base, it was designated to receive and operate a regiment of sophisticated S-400 surface-to-air missiles to enhance air defence, which could later be supplemented by “radio-technical" regiments that monitor the defended airspace.
Russia’s greatest priority for Tiksi is in its communication and satellite systems. Tiksi is reportedly part of a network of surveillance satellite installations on remote islands running as far east at Wrangel Island – 300 miles from the Alaskan coast. These satellites serve military purposes (supplementing Russia’s early warning radar network, intelligence gathering, and ASW) as well as civilian purposes (search-and-rescue, maritime domain awareness, and communications). As a network, these satellites and radars create a “protective dome” to defend and secure Russia’s Arctic airspace. These capabilities are further strengthened when integrated with air assets—such as the mixed squadron observed on Tiksi, or the potential future deployment (if these plans are realized) of long-range strategic missile-carrying bombers, and basing of high-altitude MiG-31 interceptors, or S-400 surface-to-air missiles. The completion of this network would allow Russia to assert its control over the NSR, and deters outside threats from the air, land, and sea.
Nagurskoye airfield
Built by the Soviets in the 1950s and refitted since 2015, Nagurskoye AB and military base is Russia's northernmost base located on Franz Josef Land in Alexandra Land at 80 degrees North and built to be able to handle all kinds of aircraft, including the biggest in the Russian Air Force.
Nagurskoye is one of several "trefoil" bases featuring a three-pronged building in the colours of the Russian flag.
The runway has been upgraded with concrete surfaced and its length has been extended from 8,200 feet (2,500?m) to 11,500 feet (3,500?m).
The runway expansion can now support permanent deployments of combat jets to Moscow's most northerly base.
The deployment of interceptors, maritime strike fighters, airborne early warning and maritime patrol aircraft at the Nagurskoye air base would give Russia a significant military edge in the Arctic.
Refueling long-range bombers there would noticeably extend their range penetrating deep into the North American continent.
* Satellite imagery provided by Maxar Technologies Inc.
Engels
Engels AB recently completed major upgrades to its nuclear storage bunkers, runway and tarmac, and remains the only Russian air base serving the Air Force’s fleet of Tu-160 strategic Blackjack bombers.
The Tu-160 bombers at this base are armed with air-launched cruise missiles, short-range attack missiles and gravity bombs.
Ukrainka
Ukrainka AB, one of the main Russian strategic bomber bases is located southwest of the town of Svobodny. It is also the headquarters for an ICBM base and the location of a major nuclear weapons storage facility.
The Tu-95M Bear-H16 and Bear-H6 bombers at this base are armed with air-launched cruise missiles and gravity bombs.
Belaya
In 2020, the Tu-22M3 bomber of the 200th Guards Heavy Bomber Regiment was reported deployed to Belaya as part of Russian Long-Range Aviation, a sub-branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces responsible for delivering long-range nuclear or conventional strikes by aircraft (rather than missiles).
Modern versions of the upgraded Tu-22M3 can reach speeds of Mach 2 and can carry up to 24,000 kg of weapons, including "dumb bombs" and homing missiles.
They have been used in conflicts in Syria, Chechnya, and Georgia and most recently in Ukraine.
In 2018, the first completely modernized Tu-22М3М missile carrier bomber was created within the framework of a large-scale modernization program for aircraft systems of strategic and long-range aviation. In the course of the complete modernization, the aircraft was equipped with an advanced digital avionics system based on the domestic components.
The conducted works resulted in the considerable enhancement of combat capabilities of the aircraft system including increased tactical effectiveness and larger operational radius. The first flight of the completely modernized Tu-22М3М missile carrier bomber was on December 28, 2018.
With a cruising speed of 930 km/h and maximum speed of 2,300 km/h, a range of at least 3,700 km and ferry range of 7,000 km, the Tu-22М3М is slated to enter service with the Russian Air Force by 2021.?
Russia plans to upgrade as many as 30 Tu-22s to the more advanced Tu-22M3M variant.
Armament: 3 x Kh-32 air launched cruise missiles, or 4 x Kh-47M2 Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles, or 12 x Kh-15 cruise missiles.
Shaykovka
Shaykovka AB is an air base in Kaluga Oblast. It is a large airfield with hangars and an extensive alert area for fighters. The runway overrun extends to 3000 m.
As of 2020, the 52nd Heavy Bomber Regiment of the 22nd Guards Heavy Bomber Division was still reported resident at the base flying Tu-22M3 Backfires.
In 2021 Tu-22M3 Backfires from the base forward deployed to Russian bases in Syria for operations and exercises in the region.
On 27 June 2022, Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bombers that took off from the Shaykovka air base, fired two Kh-22 anti-ship missiles into central Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast, Ukraine, hitting the Amstor shopping mall and the Kredmash road machinery plant, killed at least 20 people and injuring at least 56 in the fire that followed.
The base is believed to be?a nuclear site.
Soltsy-2
The Tu-22M of Russia's 52nd Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment is based at Soltsy-2. The Tu-22M is a Cold War-era, swing-wing supersonic bomber, codenamed "Backfire" by NATO, which has been used extensively in attacks on Ukrainian cities.
The base serves as a nuclear weapons facility.
Amderma Arctic Base
Abandoned in 1993, the Amderma military base on the Kara Sea coast has been reoccupied by Russian armed forces. Now a Tactical Forward Air Base, it is located on the coast of the Kara Sea, near the Kara Gate, a water passage between the island of Novaya Zemlya and the Russian mainland.
In 2016 then Russian Deputy Defence Minister Dmitry Bulgakov confirmed that the Arctic base will again be fully manned by soldiers by year 2020.
Rogachevo Air Base
Rogachevo AB in the Novaya Zemlya archipelago is a critical part of Russia’s efforts to secure its Northwest Arctic territory and expand its defensive capabilities. By deploying S-400s to Rogachevo, Russia has enhanced its radar coverage around the Novaya Zemlya archipelago and raised the potential costs for NATO in the event of a conflict in the region. The facility sits around 800 km from Kirkenes in North Norway.
Now a Tactical Forward Air Base, it will become the latest military installation in the Russian Arctic to receive an extended runway and new facilities for personnel and equipment.
Vorkuta Sovetskiy
A Tactical Forward Air Base, it is also known as Vorkuta East located in the Komi Republic just north of the Arctic circle. The base serves as a military airfield and Air Army staging base for Russian bomber units. According to Maxar, images demonstrate continued work on the radar stations at the Vorkuta site.
Temp Air Base
Temp Air Base, a Tactical Forward Air Base, is located along the center of Russia’s Arctic waters on Kotelny Island, part of the New Siberian Islands.
The base was established in 2013 and became operational in 2015. Its design follows a similar Arctic Trefoi design?as the Nagurskoye base.
More than 10,000 tons of materials were delivered aboard a fleet of seven cargo vessels.
The concrete runway can receive large military aircraft, including Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft year-round. The facilities are able to house and support 250 personnel year-round.
British officials have recently confirmed that Russian engineers are near completion in constructing the?cutting-edge, fifth-generation TU PAK-DA bomber, also known as “Izdelie 80”.
The Tupolev PAK-DA fifth-generation stealth bomber will be introduced as the newest stealth strategic bomber, entering service in the 2025-30 timeframe.
The Tupolev PAK-DA, codenamed Poslannik, was developed by Tupolev for the Long-range Aviation branch of the Russian Air Force.
PAK DA stands for Prospective Aviation Complex for Long-Range Aviation.
The intention of building the PAK DA bomber was to extend range and endurance, not speed. The ?Izdelie 80 will have subsonic speed, two engines and a range of up to 15,000 km.
It is claimed to have a distinct advantage in weaponry over its U.S. counterpart.
Whilst the the front line is equipped with the efficient Su-34, Russia currently deploys an array of strategic bombers and missile carriers, including models like the Tu-95, Tu-22, and Tu-160.
Although the Tu-95, with a range of 15,000 km,?can operate without the use of the Arctic staging bases, nearly all other aircraft would be required to use "bounce airdromes" in order to reach the United States.
A large four-engine turboprop-powered strategic bomber, the Tu-95 entered service with the Long-Range Aviation of the Soviet Air Forces in 1956 and was first used in combat in 2015. It is expected to serve the Russian Aerospace Forces until at least 2040.
Severomorsk Naval Base
The Northern Fleet's administrative headquarters and main base are located in Severomorsk, Murmansk Oblast, with its fleet is harboured at secondary bases along the coast of the Kola Peninsula . . . some 25 submarines and 20 surface vessels (aircraft carrier, cruisers, frigates and amphibious ships).
Severomorsk-3 (also referred to as Malyavr or Murmansk Northeast) serves as an air base for the Northern Fleet, and is home to the 100th Independent Shipborne Fighter Aviation Regiment with the Mikoyan MiG-29KR/KUBR (ASCC: Fulcrum-D) and the 279th Independent Shipborne Fighter Aviation Regiment with the Kamov Ka-52K (ASCC: Katran), Sukhoi Su-25UTG (ASCC: Frogfoot), and the Sukhoi Su-33 (ASCC: Flanker-D)
The Severomorsk-3 air base is located 28 kilometres (17?miles) east of Murmansk in the west of the Kola Peninsula.
Many of those naval bases have been modernized in recent years, including Gadzhiyevo, from where Russia’s Borei and Delta-IV SSBNs (ballistic missile nuclear submarines) operate, and Okol’naya Bay, where ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads are maintained and stored.
The fleet’s reach now extends east 3,218 km (2,000 miles) to Kotelny Island, where the refurbished Temp Air Base is home to a Sopka-2 radar system and defended by Pantsir-S1 (SA-22 Greyhound) surface-to-air batteries and K-300P Bastion-P (SS-C-5 Stooge) coastal defense missile systems.
Fielded by Russian Navy tactical groups, the Pantsir-S short-range SAM/AAA system has also been deployed on a permanent base on Alexandra Land Island.
Bastion-P anti-ship missile systems (with a range up to 600km) are also deployed to Alexandra Land Island in the Franz-Jozef Land archipelago. They are able to target ships entering the Northern Sea Route north of Novaya Zemlya Island.
Additional bases have been completed or are currently under construction at Rogachevo, Cape Schmidt, Wrangel and Sredniy.
Russian officials stated that these new bases will be used to control the flow of international shipping along the Northern Sea Route, safeguard oil and gas installations, and maintain a maritime domain deterent against foreign vessels.
But base reconstruction is incomplete, with some facilities minimally manned, reflecting budget shortfalls and questions about the return on these investments to the state.
The forward bases, from which Russia's most advanced bombers and fighter aircraft will be able to operate, primarily serve three purposes:
Russia has equipped a number of such bases with S-300 and S-400 surface-to-air missiles.
“Neither Canada nor the U.S. have ever gone to such lengths in an effort to improve their connected air capability in the Arctic.
The Nanisivik Naval Facility on Baffin Island
Canada has been spending a very long time refitting a former mining site in Nanisivik to act as a refueling site. The Nanisivik Naval Facility is expected to open?in 2024, according to the Department of National Defence. This is nine years after it was originally set to open and 16 years after it was first announced.
The naval facility, located on the northwest end of Baffin Island, 31 kilometres from the hamlet of Arctic Bay, is meant to serve as a refuelling station for the Navy and other government ships, and to help protect Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic.
While ships are the primary mode of transport for resupply and patrol in the region, there are no true ports in the Canadian Arctic to accommodate large vessels. The new naval refuelling facility will represent the first functional deep-water port in the territory.
Currently, ships have to weigh anchor and taxi to shore in small speedboats.
The airstrip and year-round service were cut from the plans after the project's original $100-million budget was found to have more than doubled to $258 million in 2013. The current allotted price tag is approx. $130 million, excluding taxes.
Alaskan Arctic base at Fort Greeley
At a cost of $50 million, the U.S. has improved the capacity of its ABM installation at the southern Alaskan Arctic base at Fort Greeley by increasing the number of interceptor missiles from 26 to 40 as part of a missile-defense expansion. about 160?km southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska.
领英推荐
Located in the Arctic Ocean between the Chukchi Sea and East Siberian Sea, and in close proximity to Fort Greeley, is the Russian base of Ushakovskoye which sits on Wrangel Island, equipped with S-300 and S-400 surface-to-air missiles.
Human Security in the Arctic
The Russian perspective
A primer examining two aspects of contemporary security research and policy in the Russian Federation.
Given that Russian literature does not research human security in the Arctic, this primer covers the concepts of human security and Arctic security, from the Russian perspective separately.?
First, it examines how the concept of human security has been interpreted in Russia.?
Second, it explores the dominant approach to security?in the Russian Arctic. While Arctic security issues are often characterized in human security terms in Western Arctic states, this is almost entirely absent in Russia. Despite a modest adoption of the human security concept in other areas of Russian research and policy, security in the Arctic is conceived and evaluated almost entirely in traditional, military, and state-centric terms.
Russia's Northern Fleet
With Finland’s entry into NATO 4 April 2023, and Sweden’s upcoming integration since the accession protocol to join the alliance was signed 5 July 2022 and subsequent rapid ratification by all NATO states, the Alliance will be looking to bolster its deterrence and defence Posture along its Arctic flank in the Baltic Sea.
There is currently no NATO strategy for the Arctic, but the integration of Finland and Sweden into the Alliance should nevertheless provide an increased continuity and enhanced adaptability to NATO’s stance on its northern flank.
Since the early 2000s, Russian has made clear its renewed importance on the modernizing of the its Navy, including the Northern Fleet.
Although Moscow's intentions for the Arctic are not particular Arctic-specific, but more so related to the Kremlin's global ambitions for restoring Russia as a great power.
Located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia, the most extensive Arctic coastline stretches over 14,000 kilometres from the Barents Sea to the Bering Strait.
The principal naval force in the Arctic is the Russian Northern Fleet. With a revitalized armament plan aimed at strengthening its surface and submarine capabilities in the region and beyond, its current standing Order of Battle boasts around twenty-five submarines and approximately thirty-two surface vessels.
Putin visits a shipyard to oversee the commissioning of new Russian nuclear submarines
On Monday 11 December 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk in Russia’s northwestern Archangelsk region to attend the commissioning of new nuclear submarines, a visit that showcased the country’s nuclear might.
Having previous pledged to carry out plans to modernize the Russian navy, Putin oversaw raising the navy’s flag on the newly built Emperor Alexander III and the Krasnoyarsk nuclear submarines.
The Emperor Alexander III SSBN is the seventh Borei-class atomic-powered submarine to enter service. Each of submarines is armed with 16 nuclear-tipped Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Putin announced that three more such submarines are under construction. They are part of Russia’s nuclear triad, which also includes land-based nuclear missiles and nuclear-armed strategic bombers.
The Krasnoyarsk SSBN is a nuclear-powered submarine of the new Yasen type. It’s armed with cruise missiles and torpedoes, and is designed to hunt for enemy submarines and is also capable of attacking ground targets. Putin said that another five Yasen-class submarines are being built.
While at Sevmash, Putin also visited the Admiral Kasatonov frigate of Russia’s Northern Fleet, one of the most advanced ships of the Russian navy which had been recently modernized to carry four Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles.
The Admiral Kasatonov, a "Admiral Gorshkov" class frigate, was commissioned on 21 July 2020. The ship is named after Hero of the Soviet Union Fleet Admiral Vladimir Kasatonov, and has been assigned to the 43rd Missile Ship Division of the Russian Northern Fleet in Severomorsk.
Russian Submarine Fleet Modernization
The commissioning of the Emperor Alexander III SSBN and Krasnoyarsk SSBN, and the transfer of the "Novosibirsk” and “Knyaz Oleg” nuclear-powered submarines into the Pacific Fleet is part of a larger modernization strategy as the older submarines in the Russian fleet approach the end of their service lives.?
Infrastructure at the Pacific Fleet naval base in Kamchatka is currently undergoing significant renovations.
The Rybachiy submarine base and warhead storage site at Kamchatka are being upgraded to support the new Borei SSBNs as well as two new specially fitted submarines capable of carrying the long-range, nuclear-armed Poseidon torpedo.
In the past several years, additional storage at the missile and warhead depots has been added and construction of a new pier has begun.
Construction of a new underground warhead storage facility at Russia’s Rybachiy Submarine base began in early 2020.
This new facility has a different layout and has a larger storage capacity than existing Russian naval warhead storage facilities.
Arcturus - lauded as Russia's next generation strategic nuclear submarine.
Unveiled at the "Army 2022" International Military-Technical Forum during the Patriot Expo at the Kubinka Air Base, the Arcturus Class SSBN submarine was positioned as potentially replacing the Borei-class submarines sometime after 2037.
Russia starts development of 5th-generation strategic submarine set to surpass Arcturus-class.
On March 31, 2024, it was announced in a statement by Igor Vilnit, the General Director of the Rubin Design Bureau, that Russia had initiated the development of a fifth-generation, nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine.
However, details remain sparse; when queried about whether this development is related to the Arcturus-class submarine, Igor Vilnit replied ambiguously, "It will be better," leaving the status and future of the Arcturus-class submarines unclear.
Of Russia's Pacific Fleet
As Russia looks to reviving its relevance as a Pacific power alongside North Korea and China, it has begun construction on a naval base on the disputed Kurile Island chain. Of major military and strategic significance, it will be located on Matua Island in the central part of the archipelago.
The base will be important for the deployment of Russian nuclear ballistic missile submarines as the aircraft deployed from there will monitor U.S. submarines in the area.
It will also provide additional protection for the Kamchatka Rybachiy Nuclear Submarine Base in Vilyuchinsk.
The existing runway will be extended and used as a jump-up airfield for Tu-22M3 bombers capable of covering vast areas of the Pacific Ocean, and anti-submarine helicopters will be able to control the passage to the Sea of Okhotsk, minimizing the capability of NATO submarines to sail into it.
In August 2023, six warships from the U.S., Japanese and Canadian navies kicked off a weeklong exercise, Operation Chinook, in the northwestern Pacific . . . from the Russia-controlled Kuril Islands to waters off Tokyo.
Three nuclear ballistic missile submarines from Russia's Northern Fleet surface simultaneously through the ice in a complex Arctic exercise.
March 2021 - During Exercise Umka-21, Russia’s most complex military drill in the high Arctic, involving fighter jets, torpedo shootings and Arctic brigade soldiers training warfare on Franz Josef Land, three Russian submarines punched their way through 5-foot-thick (1.5 meters) sea ice in the Arctic surface simultaneously within a few hundred feet of each other — one of the first times the tricky naval manoeuvres has been achieved.
A Barents Observer report identified them as two Delta-IV nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, the mainstay of the Soviet submarine fleet during the Cold War, and a newer "Borei-class" submarine . . . the name coming from Boreas, the Greek god of the north wind.
Each Russian submarine is thought to carry up to 16 ballistic missiles, and each missile can carry up to six individual nuclear warheads.
Continuing manoeuvres off Alaskan coast by Russian and Chinese warships are seen as a highly provocative move.
August 2023 - Pursuant to an annual agreement of ongoing cooperation between the Chinese and Russian militaries, eleven naval vessels from the two countries conducted joint maritime patrols in international waters close to the Aleutian's off the Alaska coast.
Russian and Chinese vessels spotted in Bering Sea as the two countries demonstrate their increased interest in the Arctic
28 October 2024 - The U.S. Coast Guard spotted four Russian and Chinese military vessels in the Bering Sea Saturday.
The airplane crew spotted two Russian Border Guard ships and two Chinese Coast Guard ships about 440 miles southwest of St. Lawrence Island Sept. 28, 2024.
This marked the northernmost location where Chinese Coast Guard vessels have been observed by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Russia to build more icebreaking patrol vessels of the 23550 class
To step up its presence in Arctic waters and enable unobstructed operation of the Russian Northern Fleet and Pacific Fleet (in Russia's far Eastern coastal waters), new powerful icebreaking vessels are being built.
In most recent years the?Northern Fleet has conducted several major exercises and expeditions in Arctic waters, including areas around the archipelagos of Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya, Severnaya Zemlya and the New Siberian Islands.
The first icebreaking patrol ship of project 23550, named "Ivan Papanin" was launched in St. Petersburg on 25 October 2023.
The?"Ivan Papanin"?and "Nikolay Zubov"?are planned to be commissioned in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
Russia's military prowess in the Arctic on display
On 21 April 2020, elite Russian airborne specialists displaying their new Arctic camouflage attire, undertook a HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) parachute insertion under extreme conditions.
Using special parachute systems and special oxygen systems, they jumped from an Ilyushin Il-76 military transport aircraft flying at an altitude of 10,000 metres (32,800 feet) over Alexandra Land Island in the Franz Josef Land archipelago just ten degrees south of the Geographic North Pole.
At an altitude of 10,000 meters, the average air temperature during this period of time is -50 C on average, when jumping from an airplane.
A special outer layer, the Porelle PTFE membrane, was worn on top of the suit's base layer, mid layer and special outer shell during landing.
By jumping out of an aircraft at such high altitude (up to the height many commercial airliners fly at), the HALO jumpers were able to free falling at speed and then open their parachutes at low altitude to insert themselves into an area with minimal chance of detection.
The pattern on the new camouflage uniforms used by the Russian HALO jumpers appears to have two shades of grey plus near black on a white base.
After landing the elite force linked up with troops of the Northern Fleet Tactical Group wearing uniforms displaying the conventional M08 Winter Digital Flora pattern, and together completed an exercise in identifying and destroying a simulated enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group.
To complete the exercise over three days, the Paratroopers executed tactical and special exercises with the Northern Fleet Tactical Group Special Forces, during which they conducted reconnaissance and search operations in the vicinity of Cape Nimrod and Babushkina on Alexandra Land Island.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles were used by the reconnaissance detachment to locate and identify the enemy camp.
Subsequently, having transmitted the coordinates of the camp, scouts called in assault aircraft and destroyed the camp. In a follow-on raid, destruction of the enemy was completed using standard small arms fire.
The HALO insertion on 21st April was dedicated to both the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and the 90th anniversary of the formation of the Airborne Forces.
To further secure the Northwest Passage along its northern coast and open up this key shipping route from Asia to Europe, Russia is amassing a previously unparalleled military force in the Arctic.
The short-range Tor-M2DT air defense missile system was specifically adapted from the basic Tor missile system for use in the Arctic environment's extremely cold temperatures.
Wide tracks enable the Tor-M2DT to travel on top of the soft tundra soil. The first units were delivered to the Russian forces in 2018.
The main task of the army GAZ-3344-20 is the transportation of personnel in difficult terrain. A relatively comfortable overnight stay is also provided. At the same time, it is possible to re-equip the rear module, as a result of which the snow and swamp vehicle becomes a specialized machine. The transporter can be turned into a command post, an ambulance, etc.
The DT-30 is a staple of Russian military transport in the Arctic capable of moving equipment and personnel through snow-covered landscapes and ice-covered waters.
The 200th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade
One of Russia’s most "Formidable Units"
Nuclear-armed submarines slip in and out of the frigid waters along the coast of Russia’s Kola Peninsula at the northern edge of Europe.
Dozens of missiles capable of destroying cities are stored in bunkers burrowed into the inland hills.
Since the Cold War, this Arctic arsenal has been protected by a specialized unit trained in Arctic combat, the 200th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade.
Considered one of Russia’s most formidable units, its best fighters and weapons were sent to Ukraine in February 2022, where ironically and through strategic miscalculations the Brigade was effectively decimated.
Arctic weapon systems and military personnel have suffered a heavy toll since the commencement of the Ukraine war.
The 80th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade (SMRB)
Russia’s elite "Reindeer Brigade"
With tensions mounting amongst Scandinavian countries due to their proximity to the Arctic region, the Kremlin formed a new army brigade, the 80th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade (SMRB), which was posted to Alakurtti near the Russian/Finnish border?in 2014.
The Brigade was created by combining two existing motorized rifle battalions with supporting artillery, air-defense and engineer units, and equipping them with specialized cold-weather vehicles.
With Russian suffering staggering losses which grew over the summer following its full-scale invasion?of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the Kremlin began pulling brigades strategic placements elsewhere and rushed them to combat zones in the Ukraine.?
During Putin’s "special military operation", the 80th SMRB began showing up in northeast Ukraine in July.?
By the fall of 2022, the brigade was reported to be in Kherson Oblast, Southern Ukraine just north of Crimea, as the Ukrainians launched a broad,?revitalized counter offensive?in the region.
The 80th SMRB reportedly had suffered severe losses and in retreat following the offensive.?
Related reports of Russian losses:
13 December 2023 - Kyiv claims Russia has suffered staggering losses in the first two years since Russia invaded Ukraine.
14 December 2023 - Putin admits Russia has suffered huge losses in Ukraine.
About Canada's ongoing efforts to strengthen its presence in the North
A brief overview of Canadian Armed Forces Operations and Exercises ensuring Arctic security.
. . . and of the U.S.
The U.S. maintains more than 22,000 active-duty troops in Alaska and also has a base in Greenland.
In September 2022 the Pentagon established an Arctic Strategy and Global Resilience Office led by Iris Ferguson as deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Arctic — a new position.
In October 2022 the White House on Friday released a 10-year Arctic strategy that emphasizes deterring increased Russian and Chinese activity in the region as global warming rapidly melts the polar ice caps, drastically transforming the environment.
Dark Arctic
NATO allies wake up to Russian supremacy in the region.
An interactive report published by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Gladys Fouche with graphics by Mohammad Kawoosa. From Reuters Graphics - published 16 November 2022.
We must be prepared for military conflicts arising in the Arctic.
A warning from the Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, at the 2023 Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Iceland.
The U.S. DoD to announce New Arctic Strategy in early 2024.
The Pentagon's new Arctic strategy is scheduled to be launched at the beginning of next year, as stated by Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Iris Ferguson at the Arctic Circle Assembly.
The Canadian Armed Forces (The Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force) is dealing with a personnel shortage . . . . some 10,000 regular force soldiers below full strength.
Canada is not the only Western country put to task when it comes to military recruitment — on which the Chief of the Defence Staff General Wayne Eyre stated his concerns and the related possible threats to democracy.
Sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces on the increase
Despite efforts by former and present Canadian Defence Ministers, and Senior members of the Canadian Armed Forces Defence Staff and Chief Warrant Office to stem the rise of sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces, there has been a steady and significant increase in reported cases over recent years.
Indicators are that there are also an undetermined number of cases that have gone unreported.
The prevalence of sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces was clearly unidentified in 2015.
Alcohol and Drug use in the Canadian Armed Forces
When asked if the Canadian Armed Forces has a problem with alcohol, Lieutenant-General Jennie Carignan, Chief of Professionalism and Conduct in the Canadian Armed Forces, stated "We know there is a correlation" between alcohol use and misconduct, but that there were "many other factors" at play.
Carignan added that the Canadian Armed Forces was still in the process?of "assessing" the data at the time.
The Independent External Review Panel for Canadian Armed Forces
On May 20, 2022, former Supreme Court Justice, the Honourable Louise Arbour?delivered her final report to the Independent External Comprehensive Review (IECR) Team.?The aim of this report was to shed light on the causes for the continued presence of harassment and sexual misconduct despite efforts to eradicate it, identify barriers to reporting inappropriate behaviour, assess the adequacy of the response when reports are made, and to make recommendations on preventing and eradicating harassment and sexual misconduct.
On 6 December 2023, Bill Blair, Minister of Defence,?announced the creation of The Independent External Review Panel for Canadian Armed Forces,?and its next steps?pursuant to?Madame Arbour’s recommendations.
In particular, the Government has accepted and will immediately move forward on Recommendations 12,?15, 17, 18,?20, 21, 22, 32, 33, 35, 41, 42, 45, 47 and 48.
Modernizing the military justice system
21 March 2024 - The Minister of National Defence Bill Blair introduced legislation to amend the National Defence Act proposing a suite of targeted changes to modernize the military justice system.
The proposed amendments address key recommendations made in independent and external reviews conducted by former Supreme Court Justices Louise Arbour and Morris J. Fish.
To?address the recommendation 5 (noted above), from the Honourable Louise Arbour’s Independent External Comprehensive Review, the proposed legislation would definitively remove the Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute Criminal Code sexual offences committed in Canada.
The proposed legislation would provide exclusive jurisdiction to civilian authorities to investigate and prosecute such offences committed in Canada
From March 2022 to April 2023, the Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs conducted a study of issues relating to security and defence in the Arctic, including Canada’s military infrastructure and security capabilities . . . the Report on that Study.
Canada's Arctic Storm Rising
Part 1 of 6:
At issue - Arctic Security and Defence
Part 2 of 6:
The Royal Canadian Airforce - Guardians of our Northern airspace
Part 3 of 6:
The Royal Canadian Navy - Guardians of Canada's Arctic Waters
Part 4 of 6:
The Canadian Army and Canadian Rangers - Guardians of our Territorial Lands
Part 5 of 6:
Part 6 of 6: