Arctic Debrief May Round-Up

In This Edition:

• Western sanctions cripple Russia's Arctic LNG 2 project;
• NATO amps-up Arctic security and strategic cooperation;
• Posturing in Alaska; reaffirmations in Beijing; and
• Latest Articles

Editor's note: This is the first edition of the Arctic Debrief monthly round-up newsletter. Starting next month, this newsletter will come out the first Monday of each month going over the most important or interesting developments of the previous month. (June round-up will go out on July 1, the July round-up will go out on August 5, etc.). I hope you enjoy the monthly newsletter, would love to hear your feedback.

Western sanctions cripple Russia's Arctic LNG 2 project

The Arctic liquefied natural gas (LNG) 2 project, owned and operated by Novatek, halted production despite completing construction of all facilities. The project was specifically targeted by a series of sanctions from the United States and the European Union.

The sanctions had been piling up for nearly a year, but only began to show results in May. Initially the U.S. and its allies attempted to prevent Novatek from completing Arctic LNG 2 by sanctioning the delivery of crucial parts for the projects. However, the facilities were fully operational by early 2024 due to deliveries from China and Western companies circumventing sanctions.

As Novatek seemed on track to begin production and deliveries, the West placed sanctions on Russia's Arctic shipping companies, preventing shipments. The deliver of LNG requires specialized ships capable of carrying the product, which Russia severely lacks.

As a result, Novatek was forced to halt production. Although sanctions seem to have crippled the LNG project entirely, the US and EU are taking further measures to thwart Russia's oil and gas industry.

NATO amps-up Arctic security and strategic cooperation

The Arctic allies took small, but significant steps towards increasing their Arctic security and interoperability in the region.

First of all, the strategic alliance completed Trans-Atlantic military exercise called Steadfast Defender 2024. The exercise saw over 90,000 troops from all 32 allies participating in land, air, and sea exercises over a span of nearly 5 months. The exercise completed on May 31, and included an extensive training exercise focusing on military operations above the Arctic circle.

Norway saw a number of developments including declaring its intention to increase control over Svalbard island and an announcement that with the addition of new funding, the country's defense spending will reach 2% of national GDP. The country also saw its parliament pass legislation allowing the United States to access and operate out of several military bases within its territory.

The Svalbard island which is located deep within the Arctic circle is operated by a early-20th century agreement which grants Norway authority over the territory, but allows signatory countries to populate and use the land. The second most-numerous nationality on the island are Russian citizens, mostly situated in the mining town of Barentsburg.

The Norwegian government announced that it will introduce legislation that will grant it greater control over the territory.

The country, which shares a land border with Russia, has also taken extensive strides to bolster its Arctic security as tensions continue to rise in Europe.

Similarly, Denmark announced new measures that will bolster its defense spending and increase its military cooperation with other Arctic nations, such as Canada.

Speaking of the Canucks (Canadians), the country commissioned two more Arctic vessels which are capable of patrolling and monitoring the high north. Additionally, the company responsible for the construction of Canada's modern warships announced that it is aiming to begin production within the current year.

Last but not least, the United States announced that it is getting ready to publish its updated Arctic strategy which will focus on cooperation and interoperability with its NATO allies in the Arctic and which will look to modernize the military to operate within extreme-weather conditions.

Posturing in Alaska; reaffirmations in Beijing

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Beijing to reaffirm their "no-limits" strategic partnership. The two signed an agreement to continue their partnership which the two leaders announced in February 2022, just days prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

As China's relations with the West and its regional neighbors continue to worsen, the country has relied on its relationship with Russia to access the Arctic region. Especially as Russia's military and economy continues to weaken, the relationship increasingly leans in favor of China. The Chinese government has set eyes on Arctic resources, such as rare minerals and oil, and sees Russia as a gateway to the region.

Additionally, Russian Tu-95MS strategic bombers and Su-30SM multirole fighter jets violated US's airspace as the aircraft entered NORAD’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) near Alaska.

As typical in such situations, American and Canadian jets were scrambled to escort the Russian aircraft out of the area, but nonetheless Russian media celebrated the "incursion."

Latest Articles

Canada's defence priorities shift towards Arctic security

The Canadian federal government’s newly released defence policy and the 2024 budget highlight the country’s security priorities shifting towards the Arctic.

Language within both documents clearly depicts the government change in attitude and approach towards Canada's northern territories as the importance of the Arctic continues to grow.

The government highlights the importance of protecting the country's sovereignty and the need to increase military capabilities to be able to not only patrol the Arctic, but to be able to respond to potential threats. While Arctic security was noted in the governments 2017 defence policy Strong, Secure, Engaged, it has taken centre stage. READ MORE...

The Promise of Arctic Resources

The Arctic is rapidly becoming a priority for nations across the world as receding Arctic ice makes the region more accessible due to climate change. The Arctic is heating up at two times the global average unlocking previously untouched deposits of critical minerals and fossil fuels, in addition to making shipping routes traversable year-round.

With the economic value of the Arctic rapidly increasing countries are investing in their armies' ability to operate in the harsh conditions of the high north to protect their sovereignty in once neglected territory.

Spurred on by revisionist states such as China and Russia, NATO allies are urgently increasing their military budgets with specific attention given to Arctic capabilities. READ MORE...