The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) transits the Gulf of Alaska on May 24, 2019. (U.S. Navy | Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Anthony J. Rivera)

The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) transits the Gulf of Alaska on May 24, 2019. (U.S. Navy | Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Anthony J. Rivera)

Experts, military officers testify about rising importance, threat in Arctic

America isn’t the only country with abiding interests in the north

Russian and Chinese interest and power in the Arctic will continue to grow, an expert in Arctic policy testified before lawmakers Thursday.

“Every time we think about the Arctic from now on, we should think about China,” said Mike Sfraga, the director for the Polar Institute, part of the Woodrow Wilson Center, a Washington, D.C. thinktank. “We should think about China and their motivations.”

Sfraga testified before the Joint Armed Services Committee of the Alaska Legislature Thursday afternoon, along with Lt. Gen. Thomas Bussiere, the commanding general of the Alaskan NORAD Region, Alaska Command and 11th Air Force.

Sfraga framed the issues facing the Arctic through a lens he termed the “7 C’s”: climate, commodities, commerce, connectivity, communities, cooperation and competition. All are factors in the rising importance of the Arctic, as sea lanes open, more resources become available, and the rapid and relentless effects of global warming change life for everyone living in the north.

Lt. Gen. Thomas Bussiere, the commanding general of the Alaskan NORAD Region, Alaska Command and 11th Air Force, at end of table, right, testifies before the Alaska Joint Armed Services Committee Thursday about coming increases to the operational tempo of military forces in Alaska. (Michael S. Lockett | Juneau Empire)

Lt. Gen. Thomas Bussiere, the commanding general of the Alaskan NORAD Region, Alaska Command and 11th Air Force, at end of table, right, testifies before the Alaska Joint Armed Services Committee Thursday about coming increases to the operational tempo of military forces in Alaska. (Michael S. Lockett | Juneau Empire)

“That’s why I’ve called Alaska the nation’s vanguard. It’s a new ocean and new competition,” Sfraga testified before the committee. “Alaska is part of a bigger geopolitical play for the entire world, not just the Arctic.”

Sfraga testified on the importance of increased naval power, icebreakers and a deepwater port in Alaska. Russia has designs to make the Arctic an economic preserve backed up by military might, Sfraga said, clinging to the wealth of the Arctic as their population growth stagnates.

“Progress is being made on the Polar Security Cutters. That’s a good thing,” Sfraga said. “This nation needs a deepwater port. Pick one, and then do a Manhattan Project on it.”

He also cautioned against the Arctic ambitions of Russia and China. China, while not technically an Arctic power, has often ignored international court rulings and precedents and does what it pleases, Sfraga said.

“Russia is a declining superpower in population and economic power. China is the opposite. They have the ability to build more icebreakers. They will go both north and south. There will be more Chinese naval ships and cutters in the Arctic. The dragon will be shown up there.”

Bussiere testified about the readiness of the military commands in Alaska to defend the homeland in the Lower 48, and highlighted the rising tempo of military exercises in the region.

“Homeland defense is our No. 1 priority,” Bussiere testified. “We believe that the changing climate presents opportunities and a challenge.”

Increased emphasis on the defense of the Arctic and requirements for cold weather operations have seen a push from the Navy and Marine Corps to expand training in Alaska, recently demonstrated recently in a joint exercise in coastal Alaska. Bussiere also pointed to the imminent arrival of squadrons of the advanced F-35 multirole fighter.

Whatever the future holds, Bussiere said, the military will be ready to meet it, in cooperation with the communities and people of Alaska, emphasizing engagement. Without the support of Alaskans, Bussiere said, the military could not do its job.

• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757.621.1197 or mlockett@juneauempire.com.

More in News

(Juneau Empire File)
Aurora forecast for the week of Nov. 27

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

Wade Bryson, a Juneau Assembly member, explains why he favors giving local businesses a “sales tax holiday” for at least one day next year, targeting Feb. 29 as a suitable date, during the Assembly’s Finance Committee meeting Wednesday night. The committee voted to hold onto the proposal for further study rather than sending it to the full Assembly. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
A local sales tax holiday? Don’t pack your shopping bags yet

Proposal to waive taxes for a day or two each year isn’t a quick sale to most Assembly members

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Choir members rehearse Tuesday night for a Bach holiday concert at Ḵunéix̱ Hídi Northern Light United Church. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Quartet of Bach compositions joins lineup of local large-ensemble performances this season

Concerts this weekend part of resurging “wealth of riches” by choruses and orchestras, director says.

The Alaska Marine Highway System ferry LeConte at the Auke Bay Terminal on Monday, March 5, 2018. (Juneau Empire file photo)
Petition seeks name change for LeConte state ferry

Petersburg man calling attention to what he calls Joseph LeConte’s racist history.

The deadly landslide that struck Wrangell on the night of Nov. 20 is seen the next day. Southeast Alaska is, by nature, vulnerable to such landslides, but climate change is adding to the risk by bringing more precipitation and more extreme rainfall events. (Photo provided by Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities)
Deadly Wrangell landslide is part of a pattern in vulnerable Alaska mountainous terrain

Scientists warn climate change, by increasing precipitation and extreme rainfall, adds to risks.

Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire File
Even the Grinch got into the holiday spirit at last year’s Gallery Walk on Friday, Dec. 2, 2022.
An abundance of traditional and new ways to capitalize on this year’s Gallery Walk

More than 50 events scheduled Friday afternoon and evening from downtown to Douglas.

This view is from Wrangell on Sept. 11, 2022. (Photo by Joaqlin Estus/ICT)
Conservation group supports formation of new Alaska Native corporations

The conservation group the Wilderness Society has changed its position and now… Continue reading

From her hospital bed on Friday, Nov. 24, Christina Florschutz demonstrates how she pulled pajama bottoms that she found in the landslide debris over her legs, arms and head to keep warm. Her house was destroyed in the landslide, and after spending the night in the wreckage, she was rescued the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 21. (Caroleine James / Wrangell Sentinel)
Elementary school aide who survived Wrangell landslide calls circumstances a miracle

Christina Florschutz trapped overnight by landslide that killed at least 4 people, with 2 missing.

Most Read