The Arctic
Research and analysis on Arctic security, climate change, and strategic competition in the High North.
Comrades In Ice: A “What If” Discussion of Sino-Russian Arctic Basing
Is it possible for Russia and China to establish a joint base in the Arctic?
Russia’s Arctic: Lack of Ground Forces a Manageable Problem, for Now
Russia’s military planners probably want their counterparts in NATO countries to believe that Moscow is building significant ground force capacity in the Arctic both to deter attacks and to have more conventional military options in the event of war.
What We Should Worry About When We Worry About the Arctic
The US National Security Strategy, released in December 2025, contains around 10,000 words but none of them are “Arctic.” The strategy also omits references to similar words like polar or what NATO typically refers to as the High North. Nevertheless, it is increasingly difficult to engage with national security and defense professionals today when worries about threats and challenges emanating from the Arctic do not feature prominently.
Russia’s Arctic: Major Obstacles Challenge Moscow’s Vision and Future Profitability
In attempting to persuade the United States to support Russia’s objectives in Ukraine, lift sanctions, and rebuild a bilateral relationship, Moscow is enticing the Trump administration with the lure of untapped resources of the Russian Arctic.
Greenland and US Arctic Security: What’s Really at Risk
President Donald Trump and his acolytes have argued that the US needs to absorb the island of Greenland for its raw materials, to ensure US security, and to prevent aggressive powers like China and Russia from taking it first.