The Arctic

[FJAG]

Why the Arctic is set to become the world's next battleground

The melting of Arctic ice opens up a massive new frontier, unlocking a treasure trove of previously untapped natural resources, new trade routes, and strategic superiority

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Kirkhill]

China gains major Arctic foothold as Russia turns to Beijing more, report finds

Russia’s war in Ukraine has forced it to turn to China to help maintain its military and economic position in the Arctic

www.theglobeandmail.com

China is gaining a major foothold in the Arctic as Russia, facing a severe budget crunch from its military assault on Ukraine, increasingly relies on Beijing and unprecedented levels of Chinese corporate and state investment to develop the northern region.

A new report by Strider Technologies, a leading U.S. strategic intelligence firm, says Russia has been forced to shift conventional defence spending away from the Arctic and to the war in Ukraine. In doing so, it has turned to China to help maintain its military and economic presence in the Arctic after years of seeking to limit Chinese involvement in the Far North.

Using proprietary data, Strider found that during the 18 months from January, 2022, to June, 2023, 234 Chinese-owned companies registered to operate in Russian-controlled Arctic territory, an 87-per-cent increase compared with registrations in the two years prior. As of June, 2023, 359 Chinese-owned companies operate in the region, Strider said, the result of a surge in investment over the last three years. Strider proprietary data are aggregated from across corporate, transaction, and open-source data sets.

Russia and China are also deepening their security ties, signing an agreement in April, 2023, to co-operate on maritime law enforcement. In August, 2023, they conducted joint exercises in the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska – remaining in international waters. The Bering Sea is a gateway between the Arctic and Pacific oceans.

Chinese-Russian collaboration in the Arctic is a scenario Canada’s military intelligence has warned MPs about. “I would definitely agree that if Russia and China were to co-operate in the Arctic, it would pose significant threats to Canada’s ability to protect its sovereignty,” Major-General Michael Wright, Commander of Canadian Forces Intelligence Command and Chief of Defence Intelligence, told the Commons defence committee in October, 2022, more than six months after Russia’s assault on Ukraine began.

Not everybody puts their faith in courts. You might have to fight to hold what you have.

 

[Aper]

Canada's North is very vulnerable, and unfortunately the CAF does not have any reliable assets to compete and gain a major presence above the 50th parellel these days.

I think one of our major flaws is not having enough Arctic / Winter warfare preparation. Not having enough exercises in harsh arctic conditions to get ready for a possible attack or invasion from the North. Sure, we get EX: Rafale Blanche here during winter but it's not enough IMHO to be fully prepared to stay positioned longer up North. We should be one of those countries that are top-notch in terms of being able to fight in winter conditions like our scandinavian buddies Sweden, Norway, Denmark, ect. We have the rugged terrains and weather; we're only lacking persistent training in those areas.

We love our Rangers, but I wouldn't count on them to get the hard job done.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Canada's North is very vulnerable, and unfortunately the CAF does not have any reliable assets to compete and gain a major presence above the 50th parellel these days.

I think one of our major flaws is not having enough Arctic / Winter warfare preparation. Not having enough exercises in harsh arctic conditions to get ready for a possible attack or invasion from the North. Sure, we get EX: Rafale Blanche here during winter but it's not enough IMHO to be fully prepared to stay positioned longer up North. We should be one of those countries that are top-notch in terms of being able to fight in winter conditions like our scandinavian buddies Sweden, Norway, Denmark, ect. We have the rugged terrains and weather; we're only lacking persistent training in those areas.

We love our Rangers, but I wouldn't count on them to get the hard job done.

Canada's not that bad off for cold weather operations, I would guess.

No one is well prepared for -60C, though, and the key success factor here is the availability of local infrastructure to support all the machinery and people you need to operate in the Arctic.

Scandinavia is relatively well developed and populated north of the Arctic Circle. For example, you can hop on a train in Oslo an get off in Tromso, more than 2000 miles north (which I recommend you do one day if you get a chance by the way - amazing country).

Canada? Not so much, in comparison.

 

[Aper]

It's on my To-Do list to visit Norway/Sweden one day for sure. And I agree that local supporting infrastructure isn't and won't be a thing in the next decades. We never had any major interests in doing so anyways, and with our retarded prime minister here in Quebec, we're lightyears away of having the North being developped.

 

[KevinB]

Canada's not that bad off for cold weather operations, I would guess.

No one is well prepared for -60C, though, and the key success factor here is the availability of local infrastructure to support all the machinery and people you need to operate in the Arctic.

I would say your second comment (that I agree with) invalidated the first .

Scandinavia is relatively well developed and populated north of the Arctic Circle. For example, you can hop on a train in Oslo an get off in Tromso, more than 2000 miles north (which I recommend you do one day if you get a chance by the way - amazing country).

Canada? Not so much, in comparison.

Except in both Norway and Sweden they will utter tear up roads without significant warning and your 4hr trip becomes a 17hr backroad trek from hell.

 

[daftandbarmy]

I would say your second comment (that I agree with) invalidated the first .


Except in both Norway and Sweden they will utter tear up roads without significant warning and your 4hr trip becomes a 17hr backroad trek from hell.

Unless you also have, which you should - or else:

1) A navy, and
2) An air force

Norway is definitley not '1 man band' terrain

 

[KevinB]

Unless you also have, which you should - or else:

1) A navy, and
2) An air force

So Canada is totally screwed.

Norway is definitley not '1 man band' terrain

 

[daftandbarmy]

So Canada is totally screwed.

Well, unless they fully mobilize their nation, so is Norway.

Uncle Sam remains about the only international player, along with Russia I would guess, who can deploy and sustain enough forces to successfully operate in the Arctic.

Which is why Canada, and the other member nations, needs NATO.

 

[Kirkhill]

The USMC in the Arctic

On the Ice with Marines Preparing for War in the Arctic

We spent time with the Marines miles above the Arctic Circle in Norway as part of the largest NATO exercise in the region since 1988.

www.military.com

Becca Wasser, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, said that competition in the Arctic is expanding.

"Arctic is part of sort of the broader global commons. It's not just the United States and NATO who are present in the Arctic, you have Russian presence and to a certain extent burgeoning Chinese presence as well. So if you're looking at the Arctic, it's a critical region."

 

[dapaterson]

New airline to run fixed price flights between Iqaluit and Montreal (St Hubert, YHU). Chrono Aviation will be running charters four times a week for a mining company, and selling excess seat capacity for $699 (one way).

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/iqaluit-to-montreal-flight-route-takes-off-this-summer-1.7179039

 

[SeaKingTacco]

New airline to run fixed price flights between Iqaluit and Montreal (St Hubert, YHU). Chrono Aviation will be running charters four times a week for a mining company, and selling excess seat capacity for $699 (one way).

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/iqaluit-to-montreal-flight-route-takes-off-this-summer-1.7179039

So…road trip?

 

[dapaterson]

So…road trip?

At $900 less per seat, per leg, compared to Canada North, can you afford not to go?

 

[SeaKingTacco]

At $900 less per seat, per leg, compared to Canada North, can you afford not to go?

Giddy up!

How is the Iqaluit beach scene?

 

[GR66]

Giddy up!

How is the Iqaluit beach scene?

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

Wait, I said that was humorous ... but it actually IS the beach scene four months of the year.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Giddy up!

How is the Iqaluit beach scene?

Brisk....

 

[KevinB]

Brisk....

View attachment 84615

Pass

 

[daftandbarmy]

Pass

Yes, Akshayuk Pass to be more precise

 

[daftandbarmy]

This has been a perennial issue for Norway, and Canada too...

Norwegian MoD Stresses Importance of Enough People in Northern Norway

Bodø (High North News): The Norwegian government wants to strengthen defense in the far north and establish the Finnmark Brigade. According to the MoD, securing settlement in this region is high on the agenda. "If things get really serious, we are dependent on civilian society and the function of total defense," he says.

"There is construction activity nearly wherever you turn in Porsangmoen in Finnmark county. The development is very positive. This was a garrison close to decommission a few years ago," says MoD Bjørn Arild Gram (Center) in an interview with High North News.

The government's new long-term plan for the Norwegian Armed Forces places great emphasis on strengthening the Army and building a brand new Finnmark Brigade in Norway's northernmost county.

"The government is strengthening the Armed Forces in general. We need a greater defense with more modern capabilities. We build from what we have, and a build-up of the Finnmark land defense is already taking place," says Gram.

New military land structure​

The Finnmark land defense consists of the garrison in Sør-Varanger, Porsanger Batallion, and Finnmark Home Guard District (HV-17).

"We see the potential in developing the Finnmark land defense to brigade size, which will allow this complex force to operate more independently," says Gram.

A brigade typically consists of about 3000 to 5000 soldiers. Today, Brigade Nord, with its focal point in Inner Troms, is the only brigade in the Norwegian Armed Forces.

The MoD explains that the major investment in the Finnmark Brigade involves a new infantry battalion, artillery battalion, and a number of new elements connected to military police, management, and logistics. The Home Guard will also be strengthened in the North, with anti-tank warfare and air force capacities.

"This is a collective investment based on what is already under construction."


Norwegian MoD Stresses Importance of Enough People in Northern Norway (highnorthnews.com)