Arctic defense a high priority for military
By: Joaqlin Estus (Indian Country Today)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Naming ceremony at Alaska Federation of Natives' annual convention honors leadership to 'ensure our shores, waters, airspace and country are kept safe from incursions by non-Arctic countries' Author: Joaqlin Estus
An F-16C Falcon from the 18th Aggressor Squadron, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, flies over a mountain range in Alaska during a 2011 exercise. June 16, 2016 (Photo by Lt.j.g. Joe Painter)
Naming ceremony at Alaska Federation of Natives' annual convention honors leadership to 'ensure our shores, waters, airspace and country are kept safe from incursions by non-Arctic countries'
Joaqlin Estus
Indian Country Today
Even members of Congress, and the state's highest elected official get only 15 minutes to speak at the Alaska Federation of Natives' annual convention. So it's significant that high-level military leaders got 45 minutes to speak there last week.
Their message? The Arctic is heating up militarily due to environmental changes, and Alaska Natives are vital to keeping it secure.
Lt. Gen. David Krumm is commander, Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Region, Alaskan Command and 11th Air Force. He was later honored with a naming ceremony bestowing Inupiaq and Tlingit names.
Krumm said with a rapidly warming Arctic and technological advances, the Arctic is becoming more accessible.
"With less sea ice and the warming temperatures, we're seeing that nations are able to bring more maritime vessels. They're able to do more exploration," said Krumm.
A new route from Asia to Europe using what's called the Northern Sea Route across the top of North America would save Chinese shippers two weeks of travel time.
The melting sea ice also creates easier access to natural resources.
"The U.S. Geological Survey has assessed that about 13 percent of the world's undiscovered oil and about 30 percent of the undiscovered gas lies in the Arctic and that's in various stages," said Krumm. "Plans are also in the works to mine rare earth materials, minerals, particularly in Greenland."
Krumm said nations may choose not to extract those resources "but that's not a universal consensus, particularly when it comes to Russia. Over 20 percent of their GDP right now comes from natural resources above the Arctic Circle in their area. So we know that the Arctic is important to them. And they're looking for ways to secure that."
Russia has invested heavily in military ports and facilities along its northern coast. Earlier this year it announced successful tests of another of its hypersonic cruise missiles, which can travel at 5 times the speed of sound and cover vast distances while maneuvering to evade interception. It has dozens of ice breakers to the U.S.'s operational one icebreaker.
"We're gonna need to find a way to monitor those individuals in nation states that choose to come into the Arctic to make sure that they are abiding by rules and norms. Countries like Russia and China have demonstrated in the recent past that they don't adhere to international rules and norms," Krumm said.
"So if you remember Crimea, where Russia basically invaded and took over, if you look at the situation in Ukraine, what China has done in the east and south China sea, that all points to nations that don't adhere to the rules of law and international norms," he said.
The military's objective is to have a free, open, prosperous, and safe and protected Arctic, Krumm said. And that will take more money.
"As I spoke last year to Congress, Sen. (Dan) Sullivan (Republican, Alaska) asked me point blankly 'are we doing what we need to resource things in the Arctic, in Alaska?' My answer was 'Hey, you have to be on the field if you wanna play the game. And we're still in the locker room developing a game plan.'"
Krumm said he's hoping federal budgets will include significant new investments in the Arctic, for internet capability, for instance, which he said would help Alaskans and Alaskan businesses.
"We have to have infrastructure to support infrastructure, not only on land, as I talked about with regards to airports, but we also have to have seaports to include fuel north of Dutch Harbor, Alaska for instance, to be competitive with both China and Russia," Krumm said.
"Especially, I can't emphasize the strategic importance of the position of Alaska, whether it be power projection to the Pacific, power projection to Europe, but most importantly, defending our Homeland," Krumm said.
"It's an area that we must maintain, that we can't afford to lose. While it's important for power projection and defensive capabilities, I would also tell you that it's an attack vector potentially on our Homeland from peer competitors in a crisis or a conflict. And so we must be cognizant of that fact."
Lt. Gen. David Krumm, Commander NORAD, Alaskan Command and 11th Air Force, was gifted Inupiaq and Tlingit names in appreciation for his service and engagement with the Alaska Native community. Dec. 13, 2021 (Photo by Airman Emily Farnsworth, US Air Force, courtesy of Defense Visual Information Distribution Service).
He concluded saying the military's relationship with Alaska Native communities is one of its most important. "We need to work together. We need to be able to learn from you.
"We need to be able to understand how to work and thrive in this environment," Krumm said. "And we need to make sure that we do that so that it doesn't impede upon the chosen way of living and the chosen way of that as you gather your own resources. So this needs to be a partnership. My commitment to do that will be a focus of my command while I'm here," Krumm said.
That evening, AFN honored Krumm for his service and engagement with the Alaska Native community. Senior Airman Emily Farnsworth reported in the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service that Krumm was given the Inupiaq name Siulliuqti, meaning leader. Gail Schubert, Bering Straits Native Corporation president and CEO, said the name was chosen by her 95-year-old mother Betty Anagick, the oldest elder living in the village of Unalakleet.
"She chose the word Siulliuqti, which means leader in our dialect, [because of Krumm's] leadership in Alaska and the Arctic to ensure our shores, waters, airspace and country are kept safe from incursions by non-Arctic countries," Schubert said.
He was given the Tlingit name Kitch yaa.
"Kitch yaa means under Raven's wing," said Joey Zuboff, a Deisheetaan (Beaver) clan leader of the Raven moiety. "This is what we are going to do; we are going to put [Krumm] under our wing. We don't just adopt people for no reason. We know that Lt Gen Krumm will do what he can for the people of Alaska."
Major General (Ret.) Randy "Church" Kee, is a U.S. Air Force senior advisor for Arctic Security Affairs at the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies. The center is directing more attention to the Arctic and is oriented among three pillars. "No. 1 of course is research and analysis. No. 2 is executive education. No. 3 is outreach and engagement," Kee said.
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A new front or an old front revisited.
The history of Alaska is one of the good the bad and the ugly.
The Japanese invaded and took the island of Attu and Kiska in 1942 capturing American citizens of the Aleut nation and 40 were sent to Japan as POW's only half survived. Meanwhile, the US government interned many of the remaining Aleut where 10% died from lack of medical care and some were used as forced labor. Others of the Aleut nation joined the military and fought for America.
More than 6,300 Alaska Natives from 107 communities volunteered to serve in the Alaska Territorial Guard (ATG) during World War II. Assembled to defend against potential Japanese invasion, the “Eskimo Scouts” were the U.S. military's eyes and ears along the territory's 6,640-mile coastline.
In 1942 FDR ordered that a road be built to ensure that we could get men and supplies to Alaska in case the Japanese decided to invade the US from the north. The Army Engineers which consisted of 1/3 black troops completed the 1600 mile road in a little over eight months, an amazing feat.
In May of 1943, the US 17th Infantry attacked Attu and a bloody two-week battle took place with most of the Japanese defenders killed in brutal hand-to-hand combat.
Now we are faced with a new potential enemy in the arctic.
Army Alaska Staff Sgt. Bruce Henderson, of the 1st Squadron (Airborne), 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Dec. 12, 2013. The purpose of the training is to further validate the unit's rapid insertion capability into Arctic conditions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Justin Connaher/Released) Date Taken:12.12.2013
Is that the AlCan...the Alaska-Canadian Highway?
Also, lots of new commands since I left there in 1990. When I got there in 1987 we were the Alaskan Air Command which was then absorbed into some tactical air command and the name now escapes me.
Yes, it is one and the same.
We drove that when we left Alaska in 1990. For the most part it was in good shape tho there were still dirt roads that you had to be careful on. It was a beautiful drive and one I will never forget
Here is an excellent link showing how the US government treated our own Aleut citizens.
I have known a few people who have traveled a lot. More than one have said the trip they enjoyed most (or at least one of their trips they enjoyed most) was touring Alaska.
Mickey Mouse boots, the white ones.
Love em and on my last pair.
Getting tougher and tougher to find in 11W
U.S. Military Surplus Mickey Cold Weather Boots, Used - 149952, Military Winter Boots at Sportsman's Guide (sportsmansguide.com)
No 11w. I ordered my last pair from them
They have 11 2E [wide] on backorder available in late January.
My idea of a winter boot, Florida style.
Yeah, that's been going on for awhile. I've had a pair on backorder for about six months now
Ya know...I was kinda expecting flip flops or hip waders...
Those shown are only for days when the temp is below 60 degrees which is generally one day per year.
My buddies that used to live in suburban IL and now live in the Villages, FL rub that shit in my face all the time. Hey D, the sun is shining, it's 75 and we went fishing today.
They just posted a video of them swimming in their newly built pool. It's cruel and unusual punishment to watch. They actually had the gall to ask me for recommendations for landscaping around their new screen lanai and atrium around the pool.
I'll say to you the same thing I say to them:
Bite me!
Note: I say that with all due respect and admiration.
Oh and I did send the creeps pics and a list of plant recommendations...
LMA0
I tried my best to make him feel guilty when he first moved to Florida. It would be like 25 degrees here in Dallas, and he would post a beach photo. I think we all need to plan a vacay and show up at his house one day, and stay for a week or two. Or three.
YES! I gotta see these primo fishing spots. I have never been deep sea fishing either.
I have trying to get my wife to go to the Everglades and camp. She put her tinny little foot down like Thor's hammer. She asked me if I realized that there are gators there. I told her that was part of the fun. The hammer struck again. NO!
I'm not much for laying around on the beach with umbrellaed drinks. Give me a beer and a fishing rod...
One of the best largemouth bass lakes in the world is Lake Okeechobee there is some great Peacock Bass fishing in Miami in many of the channels that run through the city or the Airport Lakes. There are gators in virtually every pond/river/creek/lake in Florida and also could be in your backyard or swimming pool.
The average bass caught in Okeechobee is 7 to 9 lbs. The lake record is around 16 lbs.
I suppose that in some parts of Florida, at times, these could be considered Winter Boots" (?)
A while back I went on holiday during the Christmas season in Florida (Pompano Beach). Of course i expected to see Christnas lights, I thought it amusing that there were strings of lights-- on Palm Trees. Not my usual idea of what Christmas trees look like!.
Loved the Winter climate in Florida though...
Too funny!! On the other hand, please spank yourself.
I had a pair of those growing up and then on the Coast Gaurd buoy tender here on Lake Superior. I don't spend that much time outside in the winter anymore.
Buoy tender?
What boat and where?
USCGC Spar (WLB-403) (could also be a Mesquite (WBL 405) class as well...)
An Iris class Buoy Tender...
Her sister... the Sundew (WLB 404)
The Sasafras (WLB 401)
Right click and view in new window...
My last duty station was USCGC Sundew (WLB-404) out of Duluth, MN in the mid '90s. My whole CG career, other than school, was on cutters. Coincidently my first duty station out of BT was the USCGC Citrus (/WMEC-300) at Coos Bay, OR (but built in Duluth, MN in 1942). The fleet's only white 180. They were working on decommissioning the cutter, but politics extended it just before I left for school. So I started and ended my CG career on 180 footers.
The Mesquite (before they ran her aground) and the Acacia were the two i was familiar with.
You boys used to come through the Keweenaw Channel (waterway) and spend the night in Houghton/Hancock every year.
It was worth a good fight or two each year.
Those boats were real workhorses back in the day. Probably still are.
One summer the captain volunteered for a lighthouse island cleanup in Lake Ontario so we could say we sailed on every one of the Great Lakes. That was a shit ton of hot sweaty work. Decades of garbage dumped down a hillside had to be removed by hand into a dumpster and then picked up by Army helo.
The Sundew was purchased by a private person and moored up next to the Pier B hotel. He crews it with volunteers and sails it around Lake Superior for boat shows like when the tall ships come in.
Have done many dives around Great Lakes light house out in the water. They never had to haul trash back in the day, they just threw it in the water. Found some real nice trinkets around those lighthouses. Old bottles and such
Nope, most of those classes were built during WWII and are currently retired or otherwise disposed of... Most in the mid 90's I believe... (although some lasted to the mid 2000's)
The Acacia was decommissioned mid to late 2000's. Not sure what replaced her
I've been diving the Mesquite for about 30 years now .....
The Acacia (WBL 406) was decommissioned on June 7, 2006 after 62 years of service. She was the last of the 180-foot buoy tenders to be retired. She became a Museum ship in Manistee, Michigan in 2011, she is open to the public...
Unable to find what they replaced her with...
Well then maybe Sen. Sullivan should join the Democrats in helping to pass BBB so that internet infrastructure can be built in Alaska and elsewhere in the US.
I'm don't have a black or white mentality. Climate change is opening up areas of the Arctic that haven't been accessible in our history. But there has to be a way to take advantage of that accessibility without shitting all over the environment, destroying the flora and fauna and polluting the land into perpetuity.
One of the biggest issues not in this article is that the melting of permafrost is releasing massive amounts of long entrapped methane, which is a worse greenhouse gas than CO2. There have been studies about its effect, but I haven't seen anything about mitigation. I know that they are capturing methane from cattle feed lots and wonder if that method can be used in the Arctic to capture useable methane in the Arctic to fuel military facilities.
Hell, methane is coming to the surface 'naturally' rather than it having to be fracked out.
BTW, as an expat from the Bay area where they have our mothballed fleet, I'm wondering if some of those ships can be retrofitted into icebreakers. In that way we can recycle some of those ships. Maybe some of our 700+ trillion military budget can go to getting that done.
Cattle have been one of the main (if not the main?)sources of Methane In the atmosphere. Someone came up with this idea:
Surf and Turf: How Seaweed Helps Cows Become Better Climate Citizens
[...]
Scientists have developed multiple approaches for capturing bovine emissions, from masks fitted for cow noses that restrict the amount of methane the animals’ burps release into the atmosphere to ingenious, but misguided, plastic backpacks designed to trap cow farts. (For what it’s worth, most of the methane produced by cows is released through belching, only 5% comes out of the other end).
[...]
In 2020 Australian researchers found that replacing 3% of a cow’s diet with a type of seaweed native to Australia resulted in up to an 80% decrease in methane emissions . . .
I believe there is a developing industry in Maine that has seaweed "farms" offshore (in the ocean) for this purpose.
.
Good article (despite the corny joke in the title).
Musk's new Starlink service for the internet in Alaska could be a big winner.
Last year the number of container transport vessels was the largest ever to cross the Arctic and will continue to climb as the ice recedes. And yes, that in itself will be causing pollution problems in the area.
I think it would be difficult to convert any of those ships they have been there for decades and there is a lot of rust on the hulls, probably less expensive to build new ones. The CG has three on order currently,
Of course climate change and lots of pollution are very real. Over time, scientists come up with ingenious solution to problems, but it takes a while.
And then, too, many good ideas run into opposition from politicians-- many of who are bought by large sums of money from the Big Oil and Coal lobbies. (Although I believe the Coal companies are losing ground on that).
Good information, thanks Kav.
Your welcome, Veronica.
Great seed, Kav.
That said, may the bird of paradise still lay an egg where you least expect it.