Global Warming and the Combatant Commander: Engaging the Arctic Region

• Main Author: Burd, Michael L.
• Other Authors: NAVAL WAR COLL NEWPORT RI JOINT MILITARY OPERATIONS DEPT
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2006
• Subjects: Government and Political Science; Geology; Geochemistry and Mineralogy; Military Operations; Strategy and Tactics; *MILITARY OPERATIONS; *NATIONAL SECURITY; *GREENHOUSE EFFECT; *ACCESS; *ARCTIC OCEAN; *OIL RESERVOIRS; *ARCTIC REGIONS; FORWARD AREAS; LAND USE; COOPERATION; NATURAL GAS; SHIPPING; NATIONAL DEFENSE; INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS; BATTLEFIELDS; STRATEGIC ANALYSIS; MILITARY STRATEGY; *GLOBAL WARMING; *MARITIME ACCESS; *TERRITORIAL DISPUTES; *OIL EXPLORATION; NMS(NATIONAL MILITARY STRATEGY); NSS(NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY); NDS(NATIONAL DEFENSE STRATEGY); GCC(GEOGRAPHIC COMBATANT COMMANDERS); THEATER OF OPERATIONS; ARCTIC MILITARY OPERATIONS; ARCTIC COUNCIL; TSCP(THEATER SECURITY OPERATION PLANS); Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Arctic Council; Global warming
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA463334; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA463334

The National Military Strategy (NMS) describes how the U.S. Joint Force will support the National Security Strategy (NSS) and National Defense Strategy (NDS) through the establishment and execution of three military objectives. "Protect, Prevent, Prevail" is a condensed summation of the principles behind this guidance. U.S. forward posture and presence in the global maritime environment are essential in meeting these objectives, particularly in preventing conflict and surprise attack. In describing some key aspects of a future security setting, the NMS predicts potential battle spaces far different from any in which U.S. forces currently train. The Arctic region is not specifically addressed in current versions of the NSS, NDS, or NMS. This battle space of Cold War significance, however, fits the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff's description and is reemerging as a potential theater of operations because of changes brought forth by the phenomenon known as global warming. A characteristic that clearly distinguishes the Arctic from other U.S. geographic combatant commander (GCC) areas of responsibility is that its landscape is literally changing in physical composition. This reality brings with it many significant and far-reaching security implications. GCCs and their 21st century successors will need to broaden their appreciation of the Arctic beyond its historical significance and prepare for complex security threats that could rival those of the previous century's bipolar strategic environment. GCC engagement in the region, a challenge in today's theater-strategic continuum, is necessary to prepare tomorrow's joint force for the challenges and opportunities that lie in the Arctic's not so distant future. There is an assortment of theater-strategic matters pertaining to the Arctic's future that warrant GCC attention. This paper focuses on a short list: increased maritime access, territorial disputes, and oil exploration.