Navy explores expansion of operations in far North, going head-to head with rivals Russia and China

[JacksinPA]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/cold-w...-to-test-the-waters-in-icy-arctic-11547243592

WASHINGTON—The Navy is planning to expand its role in the Arctic as climate change opens up more ocean waterways and the U.S. vies with great-power rivals Russia and China for influence in the far north. [paywall]

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Both the Russians & the Chinese see the vast potential of the Arctic for both military, trade & mineral exploitation potential & are moving aggressively in the region. The U.S. is late to this game, alongside our ally Canada.

 

[Beaudreaux]

Way past time. Glad we're finally moving in that direction.

 

[beerftw]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/cold-w...-to-test-the-waters-in-icy-arctic-11547243592

WASHINGTON—The Navy is planning to expand its role in the Arctic as climate change opens up more ocean waterways and the U.S. vies with great-power rivals Russia and China for influence in the far north. [paywall]

=========================================================================
Both the Russians & the Chinese see the vast potential of the Arctic for both military, trade & mineral exploitation potential & are moving aggressively in the region. The U.S. is late to this game, alongside our ally Canada.

Claiming to expand means nothing unless the funding and actions follows. The biggest weakness of the us in the arctic is the lack of icebreakers, russia has a crapton, we have a few at best, to move this direction even with warming the us will need to put funds towards building new icebreakers, and given how the fighting between congress and the potus is now, it may take a while to get that funding.

 

[JacksinPA]

Claiming to expand means nothing unless the funding and actions follows. The biggest weakness of the us in the arctic is the lack of icebreakers, russia has a crapton, we have a few at best, to move this direction even with warming the us will need to put funds towards building new icebreakers, and given how the fighting between congress and the potus is now, it may take a while to get that funding.

Great idea. They have 40+, we have 2 - ice breakers. Why not put that $5.7B into something productive like these useful ships?

 

[beerftw]

Great idea. They have 40+, we have 2 - ice breakers. Why not put that $5.7B into something productive like these useful ships?

I don't think 5.7 will match what russia has but in reality it would be a big start, plus america would not need 40+ like russia since russia built them due to the conditions of their own waters. I would imagine we would probably need 10 icebreakers to compete in an arctic race since outside alaska america does not need icebreakers to navigate water in it's own territory.