Determination of Sustainment Requirements for Operations by the U.S. Military in an Ice-free Arctic Using the Tenets of Operational Art

• Main Author: Dixon, Jeffrey S
• Other Authors: NAVAL WAR COLL NEWPORT RI JOINT MILITARY OPERATIONS DEPT
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: Meteorology; Geography; Snow; Ice and Permafrost; Logistics; Military Facilities and Supplies; Military Operations; Strategy and Tactics; *ARCTIC REGIONS; *CLIMATE CHANGE; *COAST GUARD; *DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE; *LOGISTICS SUPPORT; *MILITARY OPERATIONS; *MILITARY REQUIREMENTS; *PREPARATION; AGREEMENTS; ARCTIC OCEAN; ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION; GREENHOUSE EFFECT; INFRASTRUCTURE; INVESTMENTS; MILITARY EXERCISES; MILITARY PLANNING; MISSIONS; POLICIES; SEA ICE; SEARCH AND RESCUE; WAR GAMES; *ICE-FREE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT; *SUSTAINMENT REQUIREMENTS; *OPERATIONAL ART; *USNORTHCOM(US NORTHERN COMMAND); SEA ICE MELTING; CAPABILITY GAPS; SUSTAINMENT PLANNING; ARCTIC INFRASTRUCTURE; ARCTIC COMMUNICATIONS; MARITIME DOMAIN AWARENESS; MILITARY PRESENCE; INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS; DHS(DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY); NORTHWEST PASSAGE; NORTHERN SEA ROUTE; RECOMMENDATIONS; Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Northwest Passage; Climate change; Global warming; Ice; Northern Sea Route; Northwest passage; permafrost; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA563806; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA563806

Global warming and the associated melting of sea ice are altering the character of the Arctic environment. The changing Arctic is important to the United States due to its potential to provide economic gain, improved energy security, increased human activity, and national security. A framework to address the changing Arctic exists within the U.S. government and U.S. military, but it is not mature. This paper performs an analysis of preparations made to date by the U.S. government and U.S. military for operations in an ice-free Arctic. The analysis revealed that the approach employed by the U.S. military consists of three tiers: promulgating strategic guidance, identifying missions and capability gaps, and gleaning lessons learned from exercises and war gaming. This approach has yielded benefits, but it is deficient at the operational level and has not sufficiently articulated the sustainment requirements for operations in an ice-free Arctic environment. The paper also conducted an analysis of U.S. military preparations for an ice-free Arctic using the tenets of operational art. An analysis of the operational factors of time, space, and force with regard to missions in the Arctic and as they apply to the operational function of logistics can help improve the U.S. military's assessment of sustainment requirements. By supplementing the three-tiered approach with an analysis using operational art, the U.S. military can improve its assessment of sustainment requirements in the Arctic.