US navy warned to prepare for Arctic struggle as climate changes
America urgently needs to build up its military readiness in the Arctic where melting summer sea ice is setting up a global struggle for resources, a study prepared for the US navy has warned
The report by the National Academy of Sciences warned that climate change could upset the delicate security balance in the Arctic and that America is unprepared for the challenges ahead, the New York Times reports.
Handling the expected crush of shipping and tourist traffic, along with increased oil and gas exploration and military activity by other nations, will require U.S. naval forces to transform their fleets, from officer training to the mix of ships they employ, the report reads:
- The US military as a whole has lost most of its competence in cold-weather operations for Arctic weather. - In the immediate term, the navy should begin Arctic training and the Marine Corps should also establish a cold weather training program, the report suggests.
The United States has an ageing fleet of just three icebreakers capable of operating in the Arctic, according to the report.
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Opening up the Arctic isn’t necessarily a recipe for increased conflict, the report says, but the prospect of tapping the region’s oil and gas deposits, fisheries and potential new shipping lanes has created a “complex and nuanced” geopolitical situation.
- Even the most moderate predicted trends in climate change will present new national security challenges for the US navy, marine corps, and coastguard, said Frank Bowman, a retired US navy admiral and co-chair of the committee that produced the report. - Naval forces need to monitor more closely and start preparing now for projected challenges climate change will present in the future, Bowman said.
