Pentagon and Northern Command: Climate Change has Implications for National Security in the Arctic

The document details a March 3 hearing where U.S. defense officials discussed the strategic challenges of the Arctic. Key issues include the military buildup of Russia and China, the degradation of military and local infrastructure due to permafrost thaw, and a critical shortage of icebreakers. While the U.S. is pursuing a Polar Security Cutter Program, officials acknowledged current limitations in conducting Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs) in ice-congested waters compared to Russia's extensive icebreaker fleet.

• Climate change is creating more extensive ice-free sea lanes, which Russia intends to use for economic and military advantage, necessitating an increase in U.S. icebreaker capacity.
• The U.S. currently faces a severe shortage of operational icebreakers, with only one heavy icebreaker, the Polar Star, fully operational; another, the Polar Sea, is being used for parts to maintain the first.
• Thawing permafrost and other environmental hazards are threatening the stability of military installations in Alaska, as well as local infrastructure and indigenous populations.
• The U.S. is implementing a Polar Security Cutter Program with six planned vessels (three heavy and three medium), with $551 million in Department of Defense budget support this year.
• The Arctic is viewed as a strategic avenue for great power competition because of its location between the U.S. homeland and the Indo-Pacific and Europe regions.
• U.S. Navy capabilities to conduct Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs) in the Arctic are limited in ice-congested areas, and the Navy has assessed that it does not require ice-hardened ships to execute its Arctic Strategy.

APA

The Council on Strategic Risks (2020). Pentagon and Northern Command: Climate Change has Implications for National Security in the Arctic. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2020/04/29/pentagon-and-northern-command-climate-change-has-implications-for-national-security-in-the-arctic/

Chicago

The Council on Strategic Risks. Pentagon and Northern Command: Climate Change has Implications for National Security in the Arctic. 2020. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2020/04/29/pentagon-and-northern-command-climate-change-has-implications-for-national-security-in-the-arctic/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=The Council on Strategic Risks |title=Pentagon and Northern Command: Climate Change has Implications for National Security in the Arctic |date=29 April 2020 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2020/04/29/pentagon-and-northern-command-climate-change-has-implications-for-national-security-in-the-arctic/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{thecouncilonstrategicrisks2020pentagon, author = {{The Council on Strategic Risks}}, title = {{Pentagon and Northern Command: Climate Change has Implications for National Security in the Arctic}}, institution = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2020/04/29/pentagon-and-northern-command-climate-change-has-implications-for-national-security-in-the-arctic/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }