Newsletter Cooperation, Strategies, and Alliances

US training in Finland

Two special forces soldiers from the US Army training under winter conditions in Rovaniemi, Finland. The picture was taken at an earlier exercise in Northern Finland. (Photo: Sgt. Kent Redmong / US Army).

Arctic defense agreements, cooperation, and strategies are coming like pearls on a string. And the East is moving ever closer. Here is the week as seen from the North.

The Arctic is the center of international attention – and trash.

This week you can read about a project to collect plastic debris on select Svalbard beaches that highlights how the Arctic Ocean ecosystem is affected by pollution outside the region.

Defense alliances

The American presence in Northern Norway has not decreased in the past year.

In June, Northern Norwegian military bases became "agreed areas" upon a new defense agreement. We have taken a closer look at what this entails.

And US Army soldiers are currently conducting winter training in both Northern Norway and Northern Finland.

Recently, Norway announced the purchase of 54 tanks from Germany.

Eastern interest and cooperation

Despite the West's sanctions against Russian industry;

It turns out that Russia’s Arctic natural resources are becoming an increasingly hot commodity in Asia.

A major Chinese construction and engineering company agrees to help develop Russia’s largest titanium deposit located in the Russian Arctic.

Crisis helps connect the Nordic countries.

Denmark's new Minister of Foreign Affairs is now in Greenland to discuss the opportunities for cooperation.

Arctic strategies

It is also time for strategy work.

Alaska is rich in resources but lacks labor. The senator for Alaska is worried about how the US' new Arctic strategy will be implemented in the American Arctic.

“In many cases, we do not have the support from the government to help facilitate that," says Alaska senator Lisa Murkowski (R), to HNN when I met up with the senator in Tromsø, Northern Norway.

A part of the strategy is new icebreakers. Now the icebreaker faces further delays.

The UK also updated its Arctic framework.

Read about this and more at High North News.

Wishing you a good weekend on behalf of the editorial staff,

News Editor Trine Jonassen

This newsletter has been translated by Birgitte Annie Molid Martinussen.

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