Arctic drones – A new security dilemma
Abstract Over 100 countries now have a military drone programme comprised of either armed or unarmed systems. These drones are used to project power, fulfil national security objectives and signal political interest in disputed regions. As the climate crisis transforms parts of the Arctic, considera...
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12533 https://rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/geoj.12533 |
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crwiley:10.1111/geoj.12533 2024-06-02T08:01:01+00:00 Arctic drones – A new security dilemma Rogers, James 2023 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12533 https://rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/geoj.12533 en eng Wiley http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ The Geographical Journal volume 189, issue 3, page 422-437 ISSN 0016-7398 1475-4959 journal-article 2023 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12533 2024-05-03T11:59:15Z Abstract Over 100 countries now have a military drone programme comprised of either armed or unarmed systems. These drones are used to project power, fulfil national security objectives and signal political interest in disputed regions. As the climate crisis transforms parts of the Arctic, considerable investment is taking place in remote systems that can both monitor for ‘unwanted guests’ and engage in military activity. In this context, drones, specifically unarmed military drones, are becoming the favoured technology of Arctic states. Denmark, Iceland, Canada, Russia and the United States are all now using drones to protect national interests, symbolise sovereignty and enable a watchful eye to be cast on neighbours and newcomers, such as China. This article argues that while the introduction of military drones may be seen as stabilising in the first instance, in the longer term these systems are likely to escalate tensions, leading to a new drone‐based security dilemma. Of particular note is the ‘virtual’ net of detection being built by Russia. This net is reliant on drones, in partnership with additional military infrastructure and hardware, and has been developed by Moscow to establish a military capacity to detect and respond to external actors across and perhaps beyond the Russian Arctic. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Iceland Wiley Online Library Arctic Canada The Geographical Journal 189 3 422 437 |
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Abstract Over 100 countries now have a military drone programme comprised of either armed or unarmed systems. These drones are used to project power, fulfil national security objectives and signal political interest in disputed regions. As the climate crisis transforms parts of the Arctic, considerable investment is taking place in remote systems that can both monitor for ‘unwanted guests’ and engage in military activity. In this context, drones, specifically unarmed military drones, are becoming the favoured technology of Arctic states. Denmark, Iceland, Canada, Russia and the United States are all now using drones to protect national interests, symbolise sovereignty and enable a watchful eye to be cast on neighbours and newcomers, such as China. This article argues that while the introduction of military drones may be seen as stabilising in the first instance, in the longer term these systems are likely to escalate tensions, leading to a new drone‐based security dilemma. Of particular note is the ‘virtual’ net of detection being built by Russia. This net is reliant on drones, in partnership with additional military infrastructure and hardware, and has been developed by Moscow to establish a military capacity to detect and respond to external actors across and perhaps beyond the Russian Arctic. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Rogers, James |
spellingShingle |
Rogers, James Arctic drones – A new security dilemma |
author_facet |
Rogers, James |
author_sort |
Rogers, James |
title |
Arctic drones – A new security dilemma |
title_short |
Arctic drones – A new security dilemma |
title_full |
Arctic drones – A new security dilemma |
title_fullStr |
Arctic drones – A new security dilemma |
title_full_unstemmed |
Arctic drones – A new security dilemma |
title_sort |
arctic drones – a new security dilemma |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12533 https://rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/geoj.12533 |
geographic |
Arctic Canada |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Canada |
genre |
Arctic Iceland |
genre_facet |
Arctic Iceland |
op_source |
The Geographical Journal volume 189, issue 3, page 422-437 ISSN 0016-7398 1475-4959 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12533 |
container_title |
The Geographical Journal |
container_volume |
189 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
422 |
op_container_end_page |
437 |
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1800745256634810368 |