Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress

• Main Author: O'Rourke, Ronald
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service. 2012
• Subjects: Environmental protection; Animals; Natural resources; Endangered species - Arctic regions; International law; Sovereignty - Arctic regions; Energy; Petroleum; Natural gas; Minerals; Mines and mineral resources; Defense policy; Military operations - Arctic regions; Arctic; Sea ice; Alaska
• Online Access: http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc83942/

The diminishment of Arctic sea ice has led to increased human activities in the Arctic, and has heightened interest in, and concerns about, the region's future. The United States, by virtue of Alaska, is an Arctic country and has substantial interests in the region. The Arctic has increasingly become a subject of discussion among political leaders of the nations in the region. In varying degrees, the Arctic coastal states have indicated a willingness to establish and maintain a military presence in the high north. U.S. military forces, particularly the Navy and Coast Guard, have begun to pay more attention to the region.