National Strategy for the Arctic Region brings changes to the area
Earlier this week, the U.S. Coast Guard revealed its Arctic Strategy, a document that describes how the agency intends to contribute to the National Strategy for the Arctic Region signed by President Barack Obama earlier this month.
Soon after the Coast Guard released its plan, U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, announced his own contribution to the emerging needs of national defense at the top of the world in the Last Frontier: hand-me-down airplanes.
In a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Begich asked Secretary Janet Napolitano to transfer what he termed “underutilized U.S. Air Force cargo aircraft” to the Coast Guard. Repurposed with a new life at a different agency, the C-27J aircraft could save the Coast Guard $800 million, enough to buy a new icebreaker, Begich reasoned.
The creative thinking comes at a time when the Obama administration has been clear about the need to manage Arctic preparedness by coordinating resources among public and private entities, at all levels of government and non-government stakeholders, and foster international relationships.
The general thinking is that more open water will bring more commerce, more oil and gas exploration, more tourism, more sea-faring traffic. Yet high in the nation’s Arctic, there are no deepwater ports and there is no permanent Coast Guard infrastructure. The Coast Guard doesn’t foresee that changing soon.
The 10-year Arctic strategy calls for a persistent, capable U.S. Coast Guard presence in the Arctic, but one that relies on what has been termed “mobile offshore” infrastructure with a seasonal presence.
Click here to continue reading.
Source:Alaska Dispatch.