Military forces 'will keep the Arctic safe'

By Caroline Gammell

Arctic operations by armed forces are the only way to preserve peace in the increasingly disputed territory, an independent defence think tank has warned.

A military presence would also help preserve its environmental security, a report for the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) said.

Prof Paul Berkman, an expert in Arctic geopolitics at Cambridge University, said efforts at peace in the region had been neglected.

“As more commercial entities, ecotourists and others operate or travel through the Arctic Ocean, the likelihood of mishaps, hazards to navigation, or encroachment on sovereignty may require a military response,” he said.

He urged the five states which border the ocean – Denmark, Norway, Russia, the US and Canada – to work together.

In his report, Environmental Security in the Arctic Ocean: Promoting Co-operation and Preventing Conflict, Prof Berkman called for “global statesmanship to establish a lasting legacy of peace, stability and security”.

Three years ago, sea ice in the region fell to the lowest level since records began and scientists predict the area could be largely ice-free in summer within a decade.

Read more...

A warship near Spitsbergen Photo: ALAMY

Posted via email from