Arctic

Northern border along Arctic, not southern, is what worries NORAD leaders

The opening of the Arctic and the stirring of Russian and Chinese interest along the U.S. and Canadian northern borders is a major worry for the top officer at U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command.

Air Force Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy told senators Tuesday that geography is no longer the buffer that it once was.

“[China and Russia] both have … established a noticeably stronger foothold in the Arctic along the northern approaches to the United States and Canada,” O’Shaughnessy told the Senate Armed Services Committee Feb. 26. “As a result, the strategic value of the Arctic as our first line of defense has re-emerged and USNORTHCOM and NORAD are taking active measures to ensure our ability to detect, detract and defeat potential threats in this region.”

Focusing on the northern border also aligns more with the 2018 National Defense Strategy, which singles out China as an emerging competitor and Russia as revisionist power.

One of the focal points for Arctic concern is Alaska; many intercepts of Russian aircraftare made near its borders.