A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor takes off for training during exercise Arctic ACE at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 17, 2017.

A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor takes off for training during exercise Arctic ACE at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 17, 2017. U.S. Air Force / Staff Sgt. Westin Warburton

US Air Force, Space Force: Here Is Your New Arctic Strategy

America’s most active services in the region have a four-part plan to support the National Defense Strategy.

Generations of military leaders and planners have understood that the Arctic is a region of immense geostrategic significance and a critical location for protecting the homeland and projecting global power. Today, the Department of the Air Force implemented a new Arctic Strategy to maintain regional stability and protect American strategic interests.

The strategy details how the U.S. Air Force and Space Force will organize, train, and equip Airmen and Space Professionals, in cooperation with Joint Force teammates, allies, and partners, to achieve four imperatives aligned with the National Defense Strategy:

  • Maintain vigilance through weather forecasts, constant communications, threat detection, and target tracking.
  • Project combat-credible air and space power.
  • Cooperate with allies and partners to enhance interoperability and expand deterrence.
  • Prepare and train for Arctic operations.

The need for the new Arctic Strategy is clear. Like space, today’s Arctic is accessible to more nations, for more commercial activity, and during more days of the year than ever.

The Arctic is the keystone for global power projection. Often unrecognized, Alaska offers the quickest flight access from mainland United States to locations across much of the Pacific region and western Russia. Additionally, with polar ice melting, new and more efficient maritime routes are opening, which is increasing accessibility to Arctic natural resources such as oil and gas reserves and rare earth metals. This is also driving an uptick in commercial traffic and international competition, including from China.

While vast Arctic expanses formerly served as a strategic buffer for the United States, technological advancements are eroding this natural geographical defense. Russia is investing in Arctic airfields and infrastructure to secure its northern approaches. In fact, no other country has as much permanent military presence as Russia above the Arctic Circle.

The Arctic is important for U.S. operations in space, which explains why the region is a major focus of the nation’s newest military service, the Space Force.

The Alaska Radar System and the 50-plus radars that comprise the North Warning System across Canada, for example, have long provided vital early warning decision space for homeland defense and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD. Locations like Clear, Alaska and Thule, Greenland uniquely enable missile warning and defense in addition to space domain awareness, helping track more than 20,000 objects today.

The National Defense Strategy, the blueprint for defending the United States and its interests, highlights the importance of homeland defense. The 2019 Department of Defense Arctic Strategy emphasizes the essentiality of U.S. Air and Space Forces’ assets in the Arctic.

From large air bases and small training complexes to standalone early warning missile defense facilities and far-reaching radar systems across Alaska, Canada, and Greenland, Airmen and Space Professionals are positioned throughout the Arctic to defend the nation.

When Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska receives its full allotment of F-35s, Alaska will host more fifth-generation fighters than any other location in the world. This concentration of force will project power into the Indo-Pacific and Europe.

From the perspective of U.S. combatant commanders, bases in Alaska are positioned so far north and west that they are effectively forward-deployed. These bases offer access to multiple combatant commands, including significant portions of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. European Command, while simultaneously supporting U.S. Northern Command.

U.S. Air and Space Forces collaborate closely with allies and partners in the Arctic region to increase regional security and maintain readiness through exercises and training. This past year, the U.S. Air Force conducted air-to-air training with Nordic partners in the Arctic Challenge Exercise, participated in air policing missions over Iceland, and trained with Canadian and joint partners in Arctic Edge, a homeland defense exercise. The Arctic Strategy also recognizes the significance of relationships with Arctic indigenous peoples to expand and enrich exercise and training, while respecting tribal traditions.

The Department of the Air Force Arctic Strategy builds on the Department’s leadership legacy as the Department of Defense’s most active department in the region. The goal of this new Arctic Strategy is straightforward: operate in the Arctic with unparalleled excellence, innovation, and steadfast vigilance to protect America and its allies and partners.


Don't miss:

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.