Forging an Arctic Alliance Canadian-U.S. JIATF-Arctic

Abstract

"In 1867, Secretary of State William Seward purchased Alaska securing America's place with Russia, Norway, Denmark, and neighboring Canada as an Arctic nation. Though criticized as 'Seward's Ice Box,' in short time, Alaska became a strategic asset, holding great natural resources and a vital defensive position on the North American continent. For over one hundred forty years, U.S. and Canadian national security interests in the Arctic have evolved into a more mature cooperative relationship through the Klondike gold rush, World War II, and The Cold War. Throughout each security challenge, the ice and extreme Arctic conditions always served as a natural defense denying direct maritime access to the continent's northern approach. In August 2007, this assumption was no longer valid when the Northwest Passage opened ice-free, validating various Arctic ice recession models. The effects of climate change creating an Arctic maritime domain have significant new political, military, economic, environmental, and scientific ramifications that require a whole-of- government response. Due to the unique nature of the Arctic region, shared interests, and historical bi-national defense relationship, the Arctic represents a theater for the next phase of greater Canadian and U.S. (CANUS) defense cooperation. A combined Joint Interagency Task Force Arctic (CJIATF-A) under alternating leadership, will best enable a COCOM [Combatant Commands] to address the complexities of the changing Arctic region to promote responsible growth, regional stability, and continental security."