A Strategic Perspective on the Arctic
| Author | Tonne Huitfeldt |
| DOI | 10.1177/001083677400900112 |
| Published date | 01 March 1974 |
| Date | 01 March 1974 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
A
Strategic
Perspective
on
the
Arctic
TONNE
HUITFELDT
Strategically,
the
Arctic
enjoys
the
unique -
and
also
somewhat
precarious -
position
as
a
’buffer
zone’
between
the
two
superpowers;
the
USA
and
the
USSR.
On
the
out-
skirts
of
the
Arctic
region,
the
Barents
Sea
has
become,
in
military-political
terms,
one
of
the
most
important
sea
areas
in
the
world.
A
factor
of
prime
significance
in
this
connection
has
been
the
growing
Soviet
emphasis
on
a
forward
naval
strategy
linked
with
the
massive
build-up
of
the
Northern
Fleet
and
the
Kola
base.
Against
this
back-
drop,
the
author
analyses
the
strategic
importance
of
the
Polar
region,
and
the
changes
brought
about
by
the
discovery
of
oil,
natural
gas
and
minerals
in
Northern
Siberia,
Canada
and
Alaska
as
well
as
on
the
continental
shelf
in
the
Arctic
Ocean.
Although
the
development
and
transit
of
these
new
resources
could
become
a
stabilizing
factor
in
the
area,
there
are
still
unresolved
problems
as
regards
division
of
rights
and
boundaries.
The
main
strategic
importance
of
the
Polar
region
will
still
be
derived
from
its
location
between
the
two
superpowers.
The
author
finds
that
the
situation
as
it
now
develops
in
the
Polar
region
could
be
exploited
to
achieve
two
important
aims
of
Norwegian
foreign
policy:
to
strengthen
Norway’s
ties
with
its
Atlantic
partners,
and
to
increase
the
assurance
of
the
Soviet
Union.
In
order
to
achieve
these
aims,
a
common
policy
should
be
worked
out
in
cooperation
with
other
NATO
members
who
have
interests
in
the
Polar
region,
i.e.
Denmark,
Iceland,
Canada
and
the
United
States.
I.
THE
MILITARY
GEOGRAPHY
OF
THE
ARCTIC
REGION
To
see
the
significance
of
the
Arctic
region
in
light
of
security
policy
and
strategy,
it
is
desirable
to
consider
the
way
the
region
appears
when
viewed
from
its
central
point -
the
Pole -
rather
than
from
our
more
customary
angle
of
ob-
servation
on
the
periphery
of
the
region.
It
is
also
necessary
to
distinguish
between
those
strategic
factors
which
have
their
origin
in
developments
and
possibilities
within
the
Arctic
region
itself,
and
situa-
tions
which
originate
in
the
adjoining
regions
and
continents.
The
central
core
of
the
Arctic
region
embraces
the
Arctic
Ocean,
which
is
al-
most
entirely
covered
with
pack
ice
throughout
the
year.
There
are
relatively
narrow
belts
of
open
water
on
both
sides
of
the
Ocean,
along
the
coasts
of
Siberia
and
the
North
American
continent
from
the
openings
towards
the
Atlantic
in
the
west
to
the
Bering
Strait
leading
into
the
Pacific
in
the
east.
During
the
winter,
the
entire
Arctic
Ocean
and
the
entries
from
both
the
Atlantic
and
the
Pacific
are
blocked
by
drift
ice.
Because
of
the
Gulf
Stream,
however,
the
Norwegian
Sea
and
the
Barents
Sea
form
an
ice-free
wedge
pointing
towards
the
north
and
east.
This
natural
phenomenon
has,
not
least,
been
a
factor
in
shaping
developments
in
the
adjoining
regions,
and
will also
continue
to
play
an
important
role
with
regard
to
the
strategic
significance
of
the
region
in
the
future.
The
countries
which
border
the
Arctic
Ocean
divide
up
the
coastline
more
or
less
evenly
between
East
and
West.
The
Soviet
Union
has
the
longest
coast,
stretching
some
5,500
kilometers
from
the
Bering
Strait
in
the
east
to
the
Norwegian-Soviet
frontier
in
the
west.
The
remainder
of
the
coastline
belongs
to
the
five
NATO
countries
of the
USA,
Canada,
Denmark,
Iceland,
and
Norway,
and
forms
a
little
over
half
the
periphery.
How
far
the
Arctic
region
should
be
reckoned
to
stretch
into
the
territory
of
the
adjoining
states
is
a
matter
of
opinion,
since
no
unambigu-
ous
and
generally-accepted
definition
of
the
limits
of
the
region
exists.
It
is
natural
for
the
purposes
of
this
account
to
include
the
greater
part
of
the
catchment
84
Fig.
I
area
that
drains
towards
the
Arctic
Ocean,
in
order
to
embrace
those
parts
of
the
national
territories
on
land
which
enter
the
picture
when
assessing
the
significance
of
the
Arctic
region
for
security
policy
and
strategy.
The
Arctic
Ocean
contains
a
number
of
islands
and
archipelagos
which
possess
varying
inherent
value
and
potential.
Along
the
Siberian
coast,
the
archipelagos
are
so
formed
that
they
shield
consider-
able
stretches
of
the
Arctic
Ocean
from
the
north,
and
act
as
the
boundaries
for
’inland
seas’.
The
leads
between
the
is-
lands
and
the
icecap
also
contribute
to
the
channeling
of
maritime
traffic
along
the
coast.
Only
Svalbard,
in
contrast
with
the
other
islands
and
land
territories
at
the
same
latitude.
possesses
reasonable
con-
ditions
for
permanent
settlement
and
ex-
pansion.
The
strategic
importance
of
Sval-
bard
lies
in
the
fact
that
the
archipelago
provides
a
landfall
on
the
opposite
side
of
the
sailing
routes
from
the
Barents
Sea
to
the
Norwegian
Sea.
The
archipelago
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