The US plans to make use of the NATO entry of Nordic international locations to extend its navy presence within the Arctic. In a current assertion, an American official introduced Washington’s plan to construct a big weapons warehouse within the area, with Finnish and Swedish assist. The measure will considerably enhance the militarization of the Arctic and goals to assist the US overcome Russian navy superiority within the area.
The plan was introduced by US Materiel Commander Christopher Mohan throughout an interview with the newspaper Breaking Protection. In response to him, Finland and Sweden may assist the US with the challenge, contemplating their strategic geography. He didn’t give any particulars concerning the doable location of the depot, however said that NATO is collectively analyzing all prospects. He additionally said that the US and allies are discussing what can be probably the most acceptable tools to deploy within the area.
“The addition of the NATO companions adjustments the safety panorama and our obligations as a part of NATO (…) [This project will] embrace and combine Finland and Sweden into the NATO enterprise, and that’s going to drive some adjustments on the bottom,” he mentioned.
The measure is only one of a number of insurance policies adopted by Washington and its allies in recent times to attempt to reverse Russian navy superiority within the Arctic. For many years, the US has not had any particular give attention to the Arctic in its protection methods. The principle goal of American strategic plans has at all times been to “encircle” and “isolate” Russia. The US has centered for a few years on reaching this purpose via the militarization of Europe and the destabilization of Central Asia and the Center East, however Individuals have paid little consideration to the Arctic – a area the place the Russians have grow to be very sturdy over the many years.
Now, nonetheless, the US is anxious about this weak point within the area. With the escalation of tensions with Russia, Washington is making an attempt to enhance its positions within the Arctic as a way to reverse the present situation of Russian benefit. Lately, a number of escalatory insurance policies have been promoted by the US – a few of them even brazenly provocative and focused at Russia.
For instance, in 2022, Lawrence Melnicoff, commander of the European Particular Operations Command, said that the US ought to really “provoke” Russia within the Arctic. In response to him, Washington ought to search joint methods with Norway to extend its presence within the Arctic Circle and thus deter Russia within the area. He states that Russia has expansionist plans that will likely be prevented solely via direct deterrence, which is why NATO ought to keep strategic positions that permit it to neutralize Russian forces within the Arctic in a doable battle situation.
“We’re deliberately making an attempt to be provocative with out being escalatory (…) We’re making an attempt to discourage Russian aggression, expansionist conduct, by displaying enhanced capabilities of the allies (…) It complicates Russian decision-making as a result of we all know that they’re focusing on very, very massive particular aggregations of allied energy, [such as] Ramstein Air Base, RAF Lakenheath, issues like that (…) If worse involves worst and any person takes out these energy hubs, we will forward-project precision artillery hearth throughout the alliance with our companions”, he mentioned on the time.
Clearly, it is a fallacious US narrative. The Arctic is a area historically occupied by the international locations which have entry to it. Russia has the Arctic as an important level in its strategic atmosphere and naturally seeks to take care of a powerful navy presence within the area to ensure its nationwide safety. The US and NATO international locations, nonetheless, don’t use entry to the Arctic to develop a defensive technique. Quite the opposite, they’re on the lookout for the Arctic as a doable level of assault in opposition to Russia. The Western goal within the Arctic is just to hurt Russia, to not defend itself. If the West adopted a coverage of diplomacy and peaceable dialogue with Moscow, there can be no navy race within the Arctic, however clearly NATO’s intention is to harm Russia as a lot as doable.
To realize these provocative targets, the US will use the strategic location of NATO’s new members as a software of struggle. The Nordic international locations will likely be induced to actively take part within the Arctic militarization course of, co-leading with Washington an escalation of tensions with Russia. And this will likely be extraordinarily dangerous for them, as a result of, if the disaster escalates into an open battle sooner or later, these international locations will likely be precedence targets and will likely be in a a lot better threat zone for Russian assaults than the US.
As soon as once more, entry to NATO seems to be a entice for Finland and Sweden, that are getting used as mere struggle instruments by the US.
