Will the Arctic be the next global flashpoint?

We need :
- more ice breakers
- more polar bases/harbor around the Canadian US polar route
- communication plans with modern 3D videos and small movies (examples>>): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSSrPCE0smo

This is the ice map for 22 Sep 2015 - right around the arctic polar ice minimum. Russia's got the majority of the ice-free coastline from the Atlantic to the Bering Sea.

Interesting maps !

One reason this is even a question is the rapidly melting Polar Ice Cap, and believe the Russians have been monitoring this situation for years.

U.S. builds up Arctic spy network as Russia and China increase presence ...

As China and Russia boost their military presence in the resource-rich far north, U.S. intelligence agencies are scrambling to study potential threats in the Arctic for the first time since the Cold War, a sign of the region's growing strategic importance..

Over the last 14 months, most of the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies have assigned analysts to work full time on the Arctic. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence recently convened a "strategy board" to bring the analysts together to share their findings.

Read more at ...

http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-arctic-spy-20150907-story.html

The United States may be a powerhouse with military hardware, but it has fallen woefully behind when it comes to icebreakers.

President Barack Obama said this week in Alaska that we need more icebreakers and proposed to "accelerate acquisition of a replacement heavy icebreaker to 2020 from 2022."

The US has fallen behind other nations in terms of resources in the Arctic. Currently, the US has two fully functioning Arctic icebreakers — one is 40 years old and the other is 15. Rear Admiral Jeffrey M. Garrett served as the first commanding officer for the USCGS Healy, the newer of the two ships.

This compares with Russia's 40 icebreakers and another 11 ships in the works. Not to mention, says Garrett, South Korea, Japan, China, India and South Africa also own fully functioning icebreakers operating in the region.

"I don't think it's as much a competition with other countries. ... It's really not an arms race. It's really can the United States have the assets that it needs to support its national interest."

"And because we have longterm interests in the Antarctic [as well], one old icebreaker and one newer one just isn't enough. Because if you can't really be on the scene, you really are not going to be a player in the long run."

Icebreakers are expensive ships to build. "To build one ship, although it's just a tiny drop in the overall federal budget, it's a very big hit on the Coast Guard's budget," Garrett explains.

President Obama says he plans on working with Congress to fund an expanded icebreaker fleet, "to ensure the United States can operate year-round in the Arctic Ocean," he says.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/a-new-cold-war-is-emerging-between-the-us-and-russia-%e2%80%94-over-icebreakers/ar-AAdUKtv?li=AA4Zpp

No. Because it is too cold and we have other flashpoints that have never gone away to keep this on the bottom back shelf.

It could be, but I honestly think that we are happy with a few subs there as a deterrent. Let Russia (I almost said the Soviets) play in the arctic. It's a cold bitter place much more suited for them.

Well... I just read the rest of the article and I suppose it really depends on what our allies that border the region are going to do.

"Don't invade Moscow in the Winter" is one of the top 5 rules of land warfare. You aren't gonna beat the Russians on "home turf." If they want the north pole, let them have it.

Why not? We can spread ourselves thin. How will we respond?