CENTER FOR ARCTIC
SECURITY AND RESILIENCE

Arctic2024 DOD Arctic strategy: Secure U.S. Arctic interests through enhancing, engaging and exercising

The 2024 Department of Defense Arctic Strategy adeptly reflects the region’s geopolitical landscape since February 2022. Notably, its end state — to preserve the Arctic as a stable region where U.S. homeland security and vital national interests are safeguarded — presents a more assertive objective than its 2019 predecessor. This shift is both necessary and timely. The strategy explicitly references U.S. allies and partners in its efforts and scope of cooperation, while the emphasis on “preserving” suggests a more defensive posture aimed at maintaining the current order.

The Alaska Territorial Guard as a Solution to Arctic Capacity  and Domain Awareness  By LTC Jeff Hayes, US Army Dr. John Pennington 

AbstractDespite the rapidly growing importance of the Arctic in economic, defense, and environmental  sectors, the United States, though an Arctic nation, lacks meaningful defense capacity in the Arctic region. This article provides a brief history of the critical role that Alaska Natives played in the Arctic during World War II, first as the Alaska Territorial Guard and later as formally  incorporated units of the Alaska Army National Guard, and how these units addressed in their time the same capability gaps facing the United States today. However, Army reorganization during the Global War on Terror has had the unintended effect of making National Guard service nearly impossible for this critical population. The article further proposes that the Canadian Ranger program could serve as a model for restoring military service as a possibility for Alaska Natives while providing a cost-effective means of addressing domain awareness and  other shortfalls confronting the United States. 

Russia Upgrades Key Arctic Military Base With Expanded Runway

Even with its military focused on the invasion of Ukraine, Russia continues to refurbish and expand its military infrastructure in the Arctic region. Its latest efforts come in the shape of a newly expanded and paved runway at the Temp Air Base at the western shore of Kotelny Island, part of the New Siberian Islands. The runway joins an existing military base located a few kilometers inland. The Severny Klever station, also known as Northern Trefoil due to its distinct cloverleaf shape, opened to much publicity in 2013. 

China's Expanding Arctic Ambitions Challenge the U.S. and NATO

As the Arctic summer melts the polar bear tracks on the sea ice around Norway's Spitsbergen Island, dozens of Chinese scientists are arriving at a facility guarded by a very different kind of white creature—stone lions from Shanghai.  

Expert: Scientific cooperation still necessary with Russia

With the ongoing effects of climate change on Arctic ecosystems, collaborative multinational scientific projects remain vital to the region, necessitating a resumed cooperation between Western Arctic nations and Russia, despite the latter’s increasingly authoritarian and expansionist behavior. While such normalized relations in specialized fields may be unlikely in the near term, it is imperative that the U.S. and its allies try. Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska, outlined this argument in a May 31, 2024, op-ed for the High North News, a Norwegian newspaper.

Why Chinese warships near Alaska signal growing naval projection – and a message to Nato

CBSM Dean Cameron Carlson and CASR Director Troy Bouffard share their thoughts with the South China Morning Post. Sightings of Chinese military vessels off the waters of Alaska by the US coastguard earlier this month were the latest sign of growing military cooperation between Beijing and Moscow in the Arctic and the northern Pacific, and a move that analysts said was intended to “counter” the strategic agenda led by Washington and Nato in the region.

No. 30 | Strategic Competition and the Case for UNCLOS

The 2022 US National Security Strategy names the People’s Republic of China, as a pacing challenge, the top threat to the US domestic and global interests. The ability of the United States to manage its priority national security interests abroad requires access and influence. One means of achieving global access and global influence is through membership and leadership in international organizations and instruments.

Caught Between Scylla and Charybdis in The Arctic

The Arctic is more than just a geographic region of the world. It represents the area from which the baseline of climate change, associated extreme weather events, and phenomena can be best understood. It informs and advises the planet’s governance and civilization.

U.S. Northern Military Competition: Closing Arctic Operational Capabilities Gaps

CASR's Troy J. Bouffard was featured on Norwich University's blog: Prior to February 2022, the Russian Federation continued to make notable progress on its Arctic strategic development priorities throughout all sectors. However, Moscow’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine not only stopped but actually degraded much of Russia’s Arctic military progress. Western cooperation rapidly paused or excluded Russian participation in many activities and organizations, including security-related activities such as the Arctic Coast Guard Forum. Gone were any hopes of potential Arctic military dialogue and cooperation between Russia and the West. Yet, it became apparent that Russia’s actions could lead to important opportunities for the West regarding issues involving the competitive continuum.

Over 8,000 soldiers took part in an international military exercise in Alaska

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with Troy Bouffard at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, about the possibility of military confrontations in the Arctic Circle.

Recent Publication

Contributing author and CASR director Troy Bouffard offers different insights involving the importance of Russia's Northern Sea Route as part of the Kremlin's national security priorities.

Recent Media

"In recent years, China has been allowed to participate incredibly in Russia's largest annual military exercises," he said. "Each year there's a little bit more participation, a little bit change in how they do partner and work together militarily. So this maritime effort now is also not surprising."

Recent Media

“So, nothing too new there,” he said in an interview Tuesday. “We definitely have adversaries who are probably increasing their efforts to gain knowledge and Intel.” Bouffard agrees with Sullivan that Alaska has a lot of military assets of great interest to U.S. adversaries.

Recent Media

“Today’s formula for what is an advanced military and what leads to success is: Being the best at precision-enabled, combined-arms warfare.” In short, being a credible force in the Arctic means, at the very least, operating there at the same proficiency expected anywhere else. On that front, “the Army is starting from scratch,” Bouffard says.

Recent Media

“The multiple issues causing delays in the Polar Security Cutter program are interconnected, and each problem can exacerbate the others, creating and compounding a complex web of challenges that collectively impede progress, which invariably increases costs and further strains budgets.” “Altogether, I think this helps explain the frustration and what has become a vicious cycle of delays”, Bouffard concludes. 

Recent Media

Live interview conducted through Seattle to nationwide discussing the implications of the recent events.

Recent Media

“These have been really actually ideal incidents for us as a nation,” he said. “This is a real-world example of the challenges that we have stated since day one,” including domain awareness in the region.

Recent Media

Live interview on AlHurra Tonight 'Alaska Series', Middle East Broadcasting Networks of the U.S. Agency for Global Media

Recent Media

Russia in the Arctic: Is Western Analysis Too Biased? An Interview with Troy Bouffard

Recent Media

“And you need that science to get policy,” says Troy Bouffard, director of the Alaska-based Centre for Arctic Security and Resilience and a former Council delegate. “It’s heartbreaking. You had NATO states working with Russia on things like emergency response, environmental protection, in ways that don’t happen anywhere else. Indigenous nations at the table too, with a voice, with power. We can continue the work. But what does it mean without Russia?”

Recent Media

Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, also pointed out to VOA that China's economic behavior and goals in the Arctic have largely failed, except in areas dominated by Russia.

Recent Media

“This is unprecedented — we haven’t seen mention of the Arctic in the national security strategy like this,” said Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience and faculty at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. It’s a “a significant step toward recognizing that the Arctic has not just growing importance but enduring importance for the United States,” said Mike Sfraga, chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission.

Recent Media

“It’s one thing to just say that we’re all friends and allies in the Arctic-7,” he said, referring to the Arctic nations except for Russia. “But more importantly, it’s critical that we… demonstrate this through exercises, through cooperation, through the continued efforts of the Coast Guard and Coast Guard-like agencies” to work on civil security and scientific cooperation efforts.

Recent Publication

In volume 5 issue 5 of the Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, we return to the theme of Arctic security – a topic rendered more pressing in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s continued aggressive behavior in the region and beyond. This issue is a collaborative effort with the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Center for Arctic Security and Resilience. Guest editors Lt Col Richard D. Newton, PhD, USAF, retired; MSG Troy J. Bouffard, MA, USA, retired; and LTC Cameron D. Carlson, PhD, USA, retired.

Recent Media

“With the new Russian naval doctrine in effect and China working to develop blue-water navy capabilities, it is increasingly necessary to provide U.S. and allied presence in the maritime domain,” said Troy Bouffard.

Recent Media

The region’s strategic importance means that it benefits from priority allocation of resources, explains Bouffard from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He continues: “The Russian Arctic military is somewhat filtered from the systemic failures in Ukraine as a result of relatively new hardware and personnel advancements.”

Recent Publication

This project aims to address how SOF is currently postured to address the emerging security needs, challenges, and threats to, through, and in the North American Arctic in the 21st Century. 

Recent Publication

Editorial article by CASR Dep. Director, John Pennington: "FEMA has decisively led the federal effort toward establishing solid and long-lasting government-to-government relationships with tribes. The current administration, led by Administrator Deanne Criswell, has furthered that effort by establishing a 2022-2026 Strategic Plan that mirrors many of the shared values and commonalities observed between diverse tribal communities – values that tribal emergency management has been focusing on for years. In addition, FEMA released its first-ever Tribal National Strategy on August 18, 2022."

Recent Media

“Appointing an ambassador-at-large signals that the Arctic is growing in importance for the United States and comes at a time where the stability and level of cooperation that we have enjoyed in the Arctic has certainly changed,” Troy Bouffard, the director at the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, told Eye on the Arctic in a phone interview. “We’re likely to see a lot more competition now in all sectors, including geopolitical.”

Recent Media

But Bouffard and two analysts from the Center for Naval Analyses told Breaking Defense that Russia’s shipbuilding ambitions, particularly the language concerning the country’s plans to build aircraft carriers, immediately raised eyebrows.

Recent Publication

Dr. Ryan Burke, CASR scholar and Director of Research at the Homeland Defense Institute - USAFA / USNORTHCOM - presents a compelling argument for a NOAA LNO position in support of Arctic national security interests.

Recent Media

Ankara Center for Crisis and Policy Studies (ANKASAM) presents the views it received from Troy J. Bouffard, the Director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience (CASR), the University of Alaska Fairbanks, in order to evaluate Russia’s new Naval Doctrine and its effects on global geopolitics.

Recent Media

"Hopefully, fragmented Arctic scientific efforts can continue to make crucial progress until collaborative opportunities with Russia are possible again. There's no field of study concerning the Arctic that wouldn't benefit from scientific cooperation with Russia, including defense and security studies," Bouffard said, adding that "the loss from mutual collaboration in the Arctic Council alone probably can't be measured."

Recent Media

Previous article from CASR members cited along with comments from notable UAF researchers.

Recent Media

Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience in Fairbanks, Alaska, said he expects Canada’s NORAD announcement on missile detection represents “an intent” from Ottawa to explore missile defence with the United States. “A threat can come from different approaches now – not just the Arctic,” he said.

Recent Media

Live news interview with Asharq News in Dubai concerning the announcement from MoD Canada on NORAD.

Recent Media

“At this point, most seem ready for Norway to take over the chairmanship next year,” said Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. But it’s difficult to know how the transition will occur and whether it would involve Russia’s cooperation, he said.

Recent Publication

The Arctic is an area that is experiencing rapid change, increased development, and exploratory interest, and proposed solutions have the potential to produce new risks to both natural and human systems. This article examines potential security and ethical considerations of geoengineering solutions in the Arctic from the perspectives of securitization, consequentialism, and risk governance approaches, and argues that proactive and preemptive frameworks at the international level, and especially the application of risk governance approaches, will be needed to prevent or limit negative consequences resulting from geoengineering efforts.

Recent Media

Live news interview with Asharq News in Dubai concerning the impacts fo Ukraine on Arctic region stability and sanctions against Putin.

Recent Media

"As an operational HQs, 11th Airborne Division will be able to effectively organize and develop a high-level tactical staff with a defined Arctic operational purpose", Bouffard explains to High North News.

Recent Media

“We are stuck with a pretty tense situation there,” said Troy Bouffard, director of the Center of Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. “Either we acquiesce to Russia, to their extreme control of surface waters, or we elevate or escalate the issue.”

Recent Media

According to Mr Bouffard, the Arctic Council gave Russia an outlet through which it could showcase its concerns and interests in the region, and work together on issues ranging from indigenous communities to security and environmental worries. "But now we've witnessed Russia throw away its chairmanship for its Ukrainian goals, and it's very disturbing," he added.

Recent Media

It’s unclear if council activities can proceed without Russia. When the council was established nearly 30 years ago, “no such kind of language existed to guide these circumstances,” Bouffard said.

Recent Publication

NAADSN and CASR led a special session following the Joint Statement about the Arctic Council with the key findings captured in this report.

Recent Media

Interview with "ASharq News" channel, an Arabic channel based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Troy Bouffard, Director of CASR concerning Arctic security and current issues.

Recent Media

Putin “is absolutely in a position where he feels he needs to do this,” said Troy Bouffard, director of the Center of Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. “He has shifted from a deterrence to a compellence strategy. And he’s creating the leverage he needs to effect change.”

Recent Publication

Following a joint statement from the United States and Canada, authors Troy Bouffard and Adam Lajeunesse discuss the purpose and next steps of NORAD modernization.

Recent Publication

Previous permafrost data article translated into Russian and republished in the Northern Arctic Federal University / Северный Арктический федеральный университет (NArFU / САФУ)

Recent Publication

For all the rhetoric and difficulties, NORAD continues to represent a highly effective source of North American defence and security. While challenges both persist and emerge, especially as adversaries project competitive ambitions, the United States and Canada continue to discern and act upon opportunities that balance and magnify their defence equities in continental defence.

Recent Media

“There’s a need at the national level to understand what is the role of the Arctic in homeland defense and our national security interests abroad, and that’s sometimes going to come with a lot more debate and take a long time to reach clarity,” Bouffard said. “Understanding the Arctic in terms of what are the threats and what do we need to do about that is anything but clear.”

Recent Media

It’s a trend that could bring its own set of problems, said University of Alaska Fairbanks researcher Alec Bennett. That’s because no international framework exists to encourage countries to work together to evaluate and implement scientific solutions.

Recent Publication

Rapid environmental changes throughout the world and  in the Arctic are prompting the exploration of geoengineering solutions as one way to slow or mitigate climate change. These methods vary substantially in cost, risk, and reversibility. These solutions also have the potential to generate security and ethical concerns throughout the Arctic, in a region that could both benefit and be negatively impacted by these exploratory efforts. Exploring not only the technical aspects and feasibility  but the socio-environmental impacts proactively is critical to avoid escalation of conflicts.

Recent Publication

In late October 2020, President Vladimir Putin approved the “Strategy for the Development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and Ensuring National Security for the Period through 2035.” Although the casual observer might dismiss this document as yet another Arctic strategy recasting old ideas with fresh rhetoric, the importance of the timing and substance of this Russia strategy is not lost on Arctic observers.

Recent Publication

The objective of this research, co-authored by CASR member Alec Bennett, was to model current and projected climate conditions pertinent to gardeners and farmers in Alaska. Research commenced with information-sharing between local agriculturalists and climate modelers to determine primary questions, available data, and effective strategies. Four variables were selected: summer season length, growing degree days, temperature of the coldest winter day, and plant hardiness zone. 

Recent Media

Alaska’s Arctic region is opening to increased vessel traffic and global interest. What are the American military’s plans to ensure security? Lori Townsend speaks to Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Michael Sfraga, chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission.

Recent Media

Alexander acknowledged the keen focus required to prepare mentally and physically for Special Forces and said he shared these lessons with Norwich cadets at the symposium.  “There’s a lot of noise out there,” he said in the joint interview. “A lot of people want your attention and time and will take it if you let them have it. Don’t let them have it for free.”

Recent Media

Live radio interview conducted in connection with the Norwich University Military Writers' Symposium at the Sullivan Museum and History Center. First part of the show, CASR member Sam Alexander is interviewed, and the end of the show, Troy Bouffard is interviewed.

Recent Media

Troy Bouffard, director of the Arctic Security and Defense Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, said President Vladimir Putin “really changed [Russia’s] approach to international development” and sees the Arctic playing a vital role in Moscow’s return as a great power.

Recent Media

“We’re probably starting to frustrate them a little bit, maybe, with the South China Sea issue,” Bouffard said. The Aleutian exercise may be a demonstration of China’s capabilities in light of those U.S. exercises in the South China Sea. “I don’t think they’re trying to provoke a reaction, necessarily, but I think they were sending a clear strategic message,” Bouffard said. “They can also enter our waters under legal norms.”

Recent Publication

The Arctic represents a key region concerning climate security issues and should be appropriately reflected in primary national guidance. As such, a reformed policy should be published in order to align with whole-of-government responsibilities involving the U.S. Arctic. This article provides essential factors that can contribute to the development of revised strategy.

Recent Media

A University of Alaska Fairbanks analyst says both the Alaskan Command and Alaska Air National Guard have got what it takes to help with the operation, if tapped by the Pentagon. “Their ability to go support the mission right now would be very reasonable, expected – no surprise at all,” says Troy Bouffard, who directs UAF’s Center for Arctic Security and Resilience. “They do this stuff all the time.”

Recent Publication

The Arctic Academic eTalks closed sessions are invite only with select experts who can authoritatively contribute (non-attribution) to the discussion on key Arctic issues.The proceedings from the closed sessions are presented in a Summary Report that is shared with key stakeholders, practitioners, military leaders, and senior government officials in the Circumpolar Arctic region. Please let us know if you are interested in participating and as well your area of expertise at: casr@alaska.edu

Recent Media

Hear a short interview with CASR member and co-principle investigator Alec Bennett on a recent NSF project concerning exploration of Low Power Wide Area LPWA networks of measurement sensors that will expand scientific and technical knowledge crucial for practical applications in planning for climate-change-related threats in cold regions, such as extreme snowfall and flooding and infrastructure damage due to frozen ground thaw. Link to project details here.

Recent Publication

The topic of this issue is Russia and the Arctic. Troy J. Bouffard and P. Whitney Lackenbauer discuss Russia’s 2021–2023 chairmanship of the Arctic Council, positing that Russia is not seeking to revise Arctic governance structures or undermine regional peace; instead, Moscow seeks to define the region in its preferred terms.

Recent Publication

Defense policies and strategies are riddled with deliberate and calculated words—which makes the words used in the recent flurry of service-specific Arctic strategies that much more curious. There is no doubt that a tremendous level of effort went into producing the collection of Arctic strategies we find before us today. There are some wonderful words and thoughtful analyses within each. But for all good words, there are some equally strange ones leaving us to question exactly what they mean and the intent behind them.

Recent Media

What Do Russia’s Ambitions Mean for the Stability of the Arctic Council? A transcribed interview with the director of CASR and the Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) Institute.

Recent Media

Another obstacle will be deep differences over two key — and overlapping — issues, said Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska Fairbanks: Russia’s military build-up in the region and its efforts to exert control over the Northern Sea Route, the shipping corridor that runs along most of its Arctic coastline.

Recent Media

This time on our Polar Politics occasional series, Josh Tallis sits down with Dr. Cameron Carlson of the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Dr. Elizabeth Wishnick of Montclair State University. They discuss the idea of Arctic identities in The Arctic states, how they compare between different nations, and their impact on great power competition in the region.

Recent Publication

This article explores the global data systems on permafrost, which remain sporadic, rarely updated, and with almost nothing about the subsea permafrost publicly available. The authors suggest that the global permafrost monitoring system should be real time (within technical and reasonable possibility), often updated and with open access to the data (general way of representing data required). Additionally, it will require robust co-ordination in terms of accessibility, funding, and protocols to avoid either duplication and/or information sharing. Following a brief background, this article will offer three supporting themes, (1) the current state of permafrost data, (2) rationale and methods to share data, and (3) implications for global and national interests.

Recent Media

And although headlines suggest this new round of tensions could put stress on the Arctic Council’s work, Bouffard disagrees. “The greatest interest for the Arctic states is to filter out these global tensions and focus on the very real challenges facing the Arctic, that maybe not everyone else in the world cares about as much, but that we really feel up here in the North,” he said.

Recent Media

“We are an Arctic country, and the strategic long-term concerns of the Arctic—in both Alaska, as well as areas of Canada and Europe where we provide defense—are important to us,” Cameron Carlson, founding director of the Homeland Security and Emergency Management program at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, told The Dispatch. “We are lagging behind. More needs to be done in the Arctic.”

Recent Media

“They’re very good at driving a long-term strategy,” said Cameron Carlson, founding director of the Homeland Security and Emergency Management programme at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. “China’s been very astute, whether in Alaska or other parts of the Arctic, very good about inserting themselves.”

Recent Publication

The limits of Arctic stability without collective security management may be reaching an end. Whether by coincidence or because of the lack of an institutional framework, strategic interests and operational posturing are finally approaching dangerous levels. Interests in conducting high-level military discussions involving Arctic security are not new. But as a result of US sanctions against Russia since 2014, military-to-military contact between the United States and Russia has been suspended and defense dialogue is not allowed.

Recent Publication

In this article, we suggest that the United States should seek more balance between strategic imperatives and operational requirements and activities. This article begins with a discussion of the theory and doctrine addressing the relationship between the operational and strategic levels. We then survey relevant strategic documents from the U.S. government, seeking to find guidance that would inform both the American strategic approach to arctic security and any operational requirements that result from the strategic approach.

Recent Media

Dr. Liz Buchanan rejoins the podcast alongside Troy Bouffard to discuss NATO, NORTHCOM, and NORAD's differing roles in the Arctic and the challenge of establishing an Arctic security institution.

Recent Media

"...when then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the Arctic Council that “Russia is not the only nation making illegitimate claims. The U.S. has a long-contested feud with Canada over sovereign claims through the Northwest Passage.”The statement “caused immediate concern” by Canada and other regional allies, said Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. “The comment was nothing dangerous, but it was seen as very unnecessary,” Bouffard said in an interview Monday with the News-Miner.

Recent Publication

Bouffard, Troy J., and P Whitney Lackenbauer. The Development of the Russian Arctic Council Chairmanship: A Strategic Plan of Preparation and Pursuit. North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network (Trent University, Ontario: 30 March 2021). https://www.uaf.edu/casr/publications/research/2021-russia-ac-chair.php.

Recent Media

Bouffard explains that this trip is meant to be primarily for research and learning. “I hope this does become a pattern for research and for other means and collaborations and learning about the environment and working together because the US Coast Guard and the Canadian Coast Guard have completely different statutory requirements.

Recent Publication

Bouffard, Troy J., and Edward M. Soto. "U.S. Arctic Deepwater Port: Value-Added Capabilities in Support of National Security." Chap. 12 In On Thin Ice? Perspectives on Arctic Security, edited by Duncan Depledge and P. Whitney Lackenbauer. NAADSN Engage Series, 107-15. Peterborough, Ontario: North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network (NAADSN), 2021.

Recent Media

“the sheer size of the Chinese illicit fishing fleet, we just don’t have enough resources to chase down all of the the criminal activity. The Coast Guard is doing an outstanding job in that regard. They published a new strategy to combat this issue last year, and it definitely kind of steps up the concerns and objectives,” Bouffard said.

Recent Media

Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, said the new strategy is an effective and comprehensive consideration of the challenges and opportunities involving land forces operating in the Arctic. “However, there are enormous difficulties to overcome in order to achieve proficiency in the ability to conduct sustained operations as well as contribute to the ultimate measure of military success involving precision enabled, combined arms warfare – something Russia is much further along in terms of capabilities,” Bouffard said.

Recent Media

“This, as a strategic focus and priority, helps to solve other critical issues and serves as an effective vehicle to pursue related U.S.-European partnership goals,” Bouffard said. “The connection to the Arctic includes the North Atlantic and above, where Transatlantic security benefits from an institutional approach to managing issues and Euro-Atlantic interests, versus the Eurasian interests that Putin has been developing and offering for many years as a solution toward a superior civilization over the so-called decadent West.”

Recent Media

“The Northwest Passage is still not completely surveyed up to today’s standards,” Bouffard said. “When the Healy can go into any of these environments, the crew is just going to learn an enormous amount and experience very real, challenging conditions, especially changing conditions.” It’s important for Coast Guard services to become familiar with how the region is changing. Even if a crew had experience transiting the passage before, Bouffard said, “I’d be willing to bet it wasn’t the same.”

Recent Media

“I expect that this was received well by Global Affairs Canada, in both of our coast guards and I hope to see that the transit would be cooperatively and even jointly escorted by the Canadian Coast Guard, as well as the Royal Canadian Navy.” Bouffard said he would love to see the RCN’s newly commissioned Arctic offshore patrol vessel HMCS Harry deWolf accompany Healy during its transit.

Recent Publications

Bouffard, Troy J., and Cameron D. Carlson. "U.S. View: Emerging Information Environment." The Watch, 2021.

Recent Publications

Bouffard, Troy J. "A Developing Maritime Operational Environment: Forward Presence and Freedom of Navigation in the Arctic." In Strategic Perspectives. Trent University, Ontario: North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network (NAADSN), 2021.

Recent Media

The maritime boundary between the U.S. and Russia in the Bering and Chukchi seas can be difficult to access because of poor weather and seasonal conditions. Both countries have limited resources for responding to incidents — from pollution to illegal fishing — in these waters. The pollution agreement is particularly important given the sensitive nature of the Bering Sea ecosystem, Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at University of Alaska Fairbanks, told ArcticToday...

Recent Media

Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, said it was time for the U.S. to deal with Russia’s “excessive” maritime claims off its Arctic coast “one way or the other.” “Either we let them have this, or if we’re not going to, which we’re not, it has to be dealt with,” Bouffard said. “And Russia is not budging on this one.”...

Recent Media

Dr. Cameron Carlson, the founding director of the Homeland Security and Emergency Management program at University of Alaska Fairbanks, told ArcticToday that the Arctic-specific strategies from DHS and other agencies were “way overdue” given the changing environment...

Recent Publications

Carlson, Cameron D., Troy J. Bouffard, and Dana Woodward. "Exploring a Nexus of National and Human Security: Food and Energy Challenges in the US Arctic." Journal of Human Security 16, no. 1 (2020): 30-40.

Recent Publications

Bouffard, Troy J., Elizabeth Buchanan, Michael Young. "Arctic Security and Dialogue: Assurance through Defence Diplomacy." Modern Diplomacy, Updated 11 July, 2020.