CENTER FOR ARCTIC
SECURITY AND RESILIENCE

Juneau World Affairs Council

10-11 Oct: Speaker and Panel Member, “Law of the Sea”, Juneau World Affairs Forum, Juneau, Alaska Moderator: Q&A with Senate staff member of the office of Senator Lisa Murkowski, 10 Oct 2025 Panel Member: National Security Implications for U.S. Ratification of UNCLOS, 10 Oct 2025 Panel Member: Benefits of U.S. Ratification UNCLOS, 10 Oct 2025 Speaker: BBNJ Treaty, 11 Oct 2025

Arctic Wildland Fire and Mitigation: Understanding, Implementation, and Future Directions

Arctic wildland fire mitigation requires a unique approach due to the region's distinct environmental and cultural characteristics. There are key aspects of Arctic wildland fire as well as the differences and importance of mitigation. Mitigation policies will likely need to include Arctic-specific risk assessment tools, Indigenous co-management agreements and AI-driven early warning systems for example, to help address unique Arctic challenges, leverage local knowledge and improve resource allocation. Cost-benefit analysis shows each dollar spent on mitigation saves much more regarding wildland fire losses. By actively addressing challenges and leveraging regional knowledge, we can achieve more effective wildland fire mitigation and a fire-resilient Arctic. Speaker: Troy Bouffard, University of Alaska Fairbanks Speaker: Edward Alexander, Gwich'in Council International  

Arctic Disaster DENIED: The 2023 denial of disaster assistance for the Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope

 The 2023 denial of U.S. disaster assistance for the Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope (ICAS) marks a critical moment in the complex relationship between Indigenous Arctic communities and governmental response to disasters. This presentation explores the cultural and administrative factors behind the refusal of disaster aid to Iñupiat communities following a naturally occurring ice-scouring event that exposed vulnerable communities to cascading impacts for three consecutive months. Focusing on the denial, this research highlights the misalignment between U.S. federal disaster policies and the localized realities of geographically isolated Arctic communities. It challenges what is or is not a “disaster” and how policies often fail to account for cultural, geographic, and infrastructural complexities that define Indigenous Arctic regions. Speaker: John Pennington, Center for Arctic Security and Resilience, University of Alaska Fairbanks & Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope

Senate President's Forum - 2024, Girwood, Alaska

Dr. Bouffard provided a keynote presentation to the Senate President's Forum in Sep 2024. 

Arctic Climate Summit

Leaders in partnership for the future of the Arctic Date: August 20-21, 2024 Location: University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Margaret Murie Building, 2090 Koyukuk Drive

Planning Event

Dr. Bouffard provided a keynote presentation for the 1-11 IBCT 11th Airborne Division (Arctic) Senior Leaders Planning Session in August 2024.

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

Before 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 also degraded much of Russia’s Arctic military progress. 

Cold Weather Operations Conference 2023

The aim of the conference is to highlight current and future geopolitical, military strategic and environmental trends that have implications for the development of Cold Weather Operations as part of Multi-Domain Operations.

Security and Defence of NATO's Northern Flank

The conference is part of the Arctic Defense research project at the Norwegian Defence University College and hosted at the campus of UiT in Breivika, Tromsø. Presentations will include findings from a forthcoming research anthology on NATO's northern flank published in the autumn of 2023

Innovation Foundry 12

SOFWERX, in collaboration with USSOCOM’s Directorate of Science and Technology (S&T) Futures, Norwegian Special Operations Command (NORSOCOM), and the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), will host the twelfth Innovation Foundry (IF12) Event in Oslo, Norway.

High North Talks

Closed discussion on Arctic issues as well as development of a new initiative with select participants

USARC 115th Annual Meeting

The US Arctic Research Commission will hold its 115th meeting in person at the University of Alaska Fairbanks on October 25–26, 2022, where the CASR director was invited to offer insights based on a UN-highlighted article involving CASR members Alec Bennett and Troy Bouffard

SOCNORTH Arctic Symposium

CASR was honored to participate in the inaugural event with members Dr. James Morton, Dr. Ryan Burke, and Troy Bouffard

Maritime Arctic: Changing Opportunities and Challenges

Arctic Maritime Security – Civil and Military Nexus: Panel - Moderator: Troy Bouffard, Speakers: Becca Pincus , Whitney Lackenbauer, Adam Lajeunesse. This international two-and-a-half-day conference will consist of informative presentations, interactive Q&A sessions, and panel discussions, bringing together key Canadian and international stakeholders in the maritime industry, environmental organizations, governmental transport authorities, coast guards, consultants, and technology providers. Social and professional networking opportunities will be embedded in the program.

Arctic Security Forces Roundtable

From 3-5 May 2022, the Arctic Security Forces Roundtable (ASFR) was held in Fairbanks, Alaska. Established in 2010 and co-chaired by U.S. European Command (Head of Delegation - Brigadier General Edward “Hertz” Vaughan) and the Norwegian Defence Staff (Head of Delegation - Commodore Solveig Krey), ASFR was conducted in the United States for the first time. U.S. Northern Command, one of six DOD geographic combatant commands, was selected to officially host this year’s event where the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Eielson Air Force base were selected as the hosting locations, led by Rear Admiral Dan “Undra” Cheever, Director of Strategies, Policies, and Plans at USNORTHCOM J5.

Russian Ambitions to Control Freedom of Navigation and Arctic Access: Refined Data Challenging Moscow’s Northern Sea Route Claims 

This scholarly article, published in the Arctic Yearbook 2025, examines Russia's extensive efforts to regulate maritime navigation along the Northern Sea Route (NSR). Utilizing refined, model-based sea-ice projections, the authors demonstrate that declining navigational risks undermine Moscow's safety-based legal justifications for restrictive control, providing user states with evidence to challenge these practices before they solidify into customary international law.

Hypersonic War: The US’s Real Challenge in Greenland and Munich Push

The world's biggest security conference is taking place this weekend in the southern German city of Munich with US relations with Europe and Canada at their most strained in years. President Donald Trump’s threat last month to take Greenland by force has alarmed and angered the US’s traditional democratic allies.

The US cities Putin can vaporise in 18 minutes by flying nukes over Greenland - as Trump attempts to claim the territory: Interactive graphic shows level of devastation facing each location

Whenever the president of the United States is away from the White House, he will never be far from a deadly briefcase nicknamed the ‘nuclear football’. Aluminum-framed and weighing 20kg, the leather satchel provides the president with all the procedures and communication technology he requires to unleash a nuclear Armageddon.  

Why Greenland Is at the Center of a ShiftingGlobal Order

U.S. President Donald Trump’s pursuit of Greenland for national securitypurposes rankled allies ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos,Switzerland, in January

Trump’s Greenland Threats Spill Into Another Danish Territory

Many people in the Faroe Islands, a tiny archipelago in the North Atlantic, want to be their own state. The crisis over Greenland, Denmark’s other territory, has complicated that, for now.

Can Europe Constrain Trump?

The details are still sparse, with no official documents released; what, if anything, will change in practice remains to be seen. The 1951 Defense of Greenland Agreement already grants the U.S. military broad latitude to expand its presence on the island. “Things could be achieved as-is,” Troy Bouffard, the director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, told TMD—though he acknowledged that revisiting a Cold War-era framework could provide clearer guidelines for 21st-century operations.

Trump Is Right About the Arctic. He’s Wrong About Greenland.

By Troy Bouffard and Lionel Beehner | President Trump is right to be thinking about the Arctic. He is just focused on the wrong part. The area many Arctic strategists in America think needs immediate attention is not Greenland but the Bering Sea, about 3,000 miles away.

Focus on Arctic oil and gas sharpened during2025

For a different perspective, we consulted with Dr. Troy Bouffard. His view, shared exclusively with World Oil, is that “the U.S. is signaling Arctic opportunities with a clear tilttoward oil and gas by fast-tracking LNG, invoking energy emergency powers, and standing up a pro-fossilcoordination council, while simultaneously throwing new policy barriers at wind and solar. Alaska is still courting LNG in the Far North by leveraging partnerships and advancing regulatory steps, but firm capitalis not yet in place.”

Jeff Landr Expects To Continue As Trump's Special Envoy

The U.S. once maintained more than a dozen. Now it has one. President Trump wants more.

How Many Bases Does America Have in Greenland Now?

The U.S. once maintained more than a dozen. Now it has one. President Trump wants more.

Trump’s Greenland Push Makes Markets Nervous | Insight with Haslinda Amin 01/19/2026

Insight with Haslinda Amin, a daily news program featuring in-depth, high-profile interviews and analysis to give viewers the complete picture on the stories that matter. The show features prominent leaders spanning the worlds of business, finance, politics and culture. (Source: Bloomberg Ft. CASR Director Troy Bouffard

Tra missili, radar e spazio: perché la base americana in Groenlandia è cruciale

La base di Pituffik è nella parte nord-occidentale dell’isola, a 1.500 chilometri dalla capitale Nuuk. L’unico avamposto militare degli Stati Uniti rimasto sull’isola, fondamentale per gli interessi di Washington nell’Artico europeo-atlantico

Will Trump Take Greenland?

James P. Sutton, Peter Gattuso, & Ross Anderson / January 15, 2026

News Nation Facebook Live ft. CASR Director Troy Bouffard

President Trump is not giving up in his pursuit of the U.S. owning Greenland, despite the complete rejection of such a move by officials from Copenhagen and Nuuk.

Canada and Norway are about to get "Trumped."

Greenland is just the start. The new North American missile defense shield is about to reshape the Arctic, forcing questions about who controls what, where, and why.

'Samenwerking nodig voor VS'

Volgens d irecteur Troy J. Bouffard van hel Center for Arctic Security ond Resilience in Alaska zal de annexatie van Groenlnnd de vei Ughe1dsbelangen von Amerika juist niet verbeteren. "Dit zal waarschijnlijk lciden tot een meer geisoleerde situatie, waarin de VS samenwerking mislopen die nodig is voor overleving en succes in het Arctisch gebied."

Danish, US and Greenland officials to meet over White House's annexation threats

Greenland's government is preparing to meet with Danish and American officials over the U.S. President Donald Trump administration's threats to annex the Arctic island from Denmark.  Greenland and Denmark say that Greenland’s future must be decided by its people alone.  Redmond Shannon reports on the White House's increasingly aggressive rhetoric on Greenland and what reasons the U.S. could have for pursuing the territory besides security.  

Oude radars, nieuwe raketten en smeltend ijs: waarom Groenland weer militair van belang wordt

The U.S. Already has Leverage in Greenland, So Why is Trump Escalating? Experts Weigh In

Troy Bouffard, an assistant professor of Arctic Security in the College of Business and Security Management (CBSM) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, said Trump’s business mindset is key to understanding his approach to foreign policy, where threats aren’t necessarily meant to be real, but allow Trump to escalate publicly before settling for a deal he can promote as a win.

US Renewing Call to Acquire Greenland, Raising Concerns over NATO Alliance

The White House has indicated that US President Donald Trump wants to secure control over Greenland, a Danish territory, citing national security concerns. This move has raised concerns about the potential impact on NATO cohesion and alliance unity, as well as the implications for the US' relationships with longstanding allies like Denmark. Experts warn that a military seizure of Greenland is not credible and could undermine the rules-based international order, playing into the hands of adversaries like Russia and China  

Danish, US and Greenland Officials to Meet Over White House’s Annexations Threats

Redmond Shannon reports on the White House's increasingly aggressive rhetoric on Greenland and what reasons the U.S. could have for pursuing the territory besides security.

Greenland is Strategic, but Taking it by Force could be Costly for US Security

“We’ve had a presence there since World War II, especially during the Cold War,” Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, told Straight Arrow News.

Beyond rural: A time-based measure for urban, rural, remote, and geographically isolated response

CASR members Dr. Daryle Schaffer and Dr. Alec Bennet propose time-based guidelines on four geographic settings correlated to the arrival of the initial disaster emergency response at a location deemed "urban" as under 10 minutes, "rural" under an hour, "remote" under 24 hours, and "geographically isolated" over 24 hours.

Russian Ambitions to Control Freedom of Navigationand Arctic Access: Refined Data Challenging Moscow’s Northern Sea Route Claims

In this article, we challenge the sea ice models of Russia and the Northern Sea Route with updated projections.

For all its promise, AI is a potential threat to culture

Crystal Hill-Pennington participated in a discussion on AI and Native culture: On the cusp of what could be a new era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), some researchers are urging caution and the need for deliberate controls to keep the developing technology from robbing Indigenous people of their cultures and sovereignty. A project with three universities provides a framework of standards to prevent AI from stripping Native Americans and all other Indigenous peoples of their right to control images, language, cultural knowledge, and other components of their identities they’ve worked so hard to retain. We’ll hear about the potential benefits and threats of AI to Native people.

Can AI translate Native languages in times of disaster? 

But in those cases, Indigenous people have been the ones developing the AI models and making decisions about how to use them. Crystal Hill-Pennington, who teaches Native law and business at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and offers legal consultation to Alaska tribes, said she worries about the potential for exploitation if AI is trained on the work of Indigenous translators for future use by non-Native companies. “If we have communities that have a historical socioeconomic disadvantage, and then companies can come in, gather a little bit of information, and then try to capitalize on that knowledge without continuing to engage the originating community that holds that heritage, that’s problematic,” she said. 

As disasters grow more common, an Alaska tribe is working to make the Arctic more prepared

John Pennington, a professor of Homeland Security and Emergency Management at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, is an advisor to the tribe and helped put the program together. “It's using the strength of the Alaska Native communities that are the North Slope to improve emergency management through the lens of Alaska Natives, first and foremost,” he said. Pennington said that communities in the Arctic have been seeing intensifying storms and erosion. They also see disasters that federal emergency managers are not familiar with – such as an ice-souring event that in 2023 severed all communications for three months across the North Slope. “That doesn't fit into FEMA’s book of what a disaster is, but for us as a community up there, it was a huge disaster,” he said.

Arctic Naval Combat in Support of Ground Operations

“In this meticulously researched work, Gebhart uncovers the previously unrecognized significance of Soviet naval forces during the Petsamo-Kirkenes Operation of 1944. His authoritative analysis of combined arms tactics in extreme Arctic conditions provides invaluable insights for modern military planners. Given the Arctic’s growing strategic importance and the scarcity of literature on large-scale combat operations in this region, this book stands as an essential resource for military professionals, historians, and defense and security experts alike.” —Troy J. Bouffard, University of Alaska Fairbanks (Official Book Review and Publication Support)

Denmark strengthens its defence... and Canada could benefit

By providing more real-time data, these initiatives have the potential to strengthen intelligence sharing between NATO and NORAD, the U.S. and Canadian Aerospace Defence Command. Troy Bouffard, an assistant professor of Arctic security at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, adds that some air and sea threats would also be detected more quickly. “Thanks to radar, the quality of the tracking, early tracking and response time to air profiles and cruise missiles that are difficult to detect would be greatly improved and would allow for better coordination,”

Inside the West’s Race to Defend the Arctic

Because of Russia’s geographic advantage and the West’s own negligence, NATO is falling precipitously behind in the Arctic, said Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. “This is one of the only areas where we are not able to go toe-to-toe with our adversaries,” he said. Now, as Russia’s land forces have been weakened by the war in Ukraine, the West has an opening to catch up. However, Western militaries are only just shifting focus after two decades of counterterrorism in the Middle East and Afghanistan. Many lessons learned there cannot be applied in the high north. Building a significant military presence in the Arctic will have to be done almost from scratch, Bouffard said.

The Strategic Importance of Greenland: The Role of Tactical Missile and Air Defense in the Arctic

The authors of this article focus on tactical considerations for a potential scenario in which a strengthened  U.S.-Greenland strategic partnership presents opportunities for enhanced defense. The defense of Arctic strategic assets demands comprehensive integration of all warfighting physical and non-physical domains. When assessing the full spectrum of combat capabilities required to dominate the Arctic battlespace, northern ballistic missile defense architecture and early warning radar networks are critical strategic centers of gravity.

China and "Deep Bench Diplomatic Power

China has developed the world’s most expansive diplomatic network, underpinned by a strategy of“deep bench” diplomatic strength: deploying highly trained, flexible delegations across a growing array of multilateral and bilateral forums. This article explores how Beijing combines smart, sharp,discourse, and geoeconomic power to shape the global order, often outmaneuvering Western competitors through modular diplomatic teams and strategic investments in institutions like the Belt and Road Initiative and the International Seabed Authority.

Articulating Smart Power: The Strategic Information Environment of the Northern Sea Route

This article analyzes Russia’s evolving strategy to assert control over the Northern Sea Route (NSR) and consolidate its geopolitical, economic, and military dominance in the Arctic. Russia’s smart-power strategy blends hard-power posturing, including remilitarization and surveillance expansion, with economic development and legal narratives aimed at legitimizing its claims. 

Russian Arctic Land Forces and Defense Trends Redefined by NATO and Ukraine

This article argues that Russia’s Arctic land forces have been weakened by the Russia-Ukraine War and NATO’s northern expansion, creating a strategic window for Western militaries to bolster their Arctic capabilities. Unlike existing studies that focus on maritime operations and the Northern Sea Route, it integrates technical assessments of ground-based Arctic platforms with analysis of military-district reforms. 

Circumpolar Wildland Fire Operational Baseline Report

The Arctic is experiencing unprecedented ecosystem changes and warming, and subsequently, extreme wildfire events in all eight Arctic states. Wildland firefighting resources and information are often shared between some Arctic States. The research goal of this report is to determine a baseline understanding of operational capabilities and information sources for wildland fire response available in each Arctic State.

Newest U.S. Icebreaker ‘Storis’ Conducts Extensive Patrol Along Russian Maritime Boundary in Arctic

“On its first operational patrol, Storis did much more than just get underway, it began closing the most alarming gap in U.S. Arctic operations: persistent, ice-capable maritime surface presence,” says Troy Bouffard, Director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. “By operating in international waters closely adjacent to Russia’s EEZ in the Bering Sea, the vessel sent clear strategic signals of resolve while affirming U.S. sovereignty in our waters and sovereign rights in our EEZ, upholding freedom of navigation, and ability to protect U.S. Arctic interests,” he continued.  

Chinese Research Vessels Enter U.S. Extended Continental Shelf in Arctic, Coast Guard Monitors with Icebreaker ‘Healy’

Chinese activity in the American Arctic continues to draw the attention of the U.S. Coast Guard. Two Chinese research vessels entering the Extended Continental Shelf now triggered a response by icebreaker Healy to monitor and shadow the vessels.25-sep

Hurricane Katrina 20th Anniversary: ​​US Officials Warn Trump Is Leaving the Country Unprepared for New Disasters

This week marks the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's tragedy in the United States. The milestone prompted nearly 200 public officials to warn that President Donald Trump is leaving the country at risk and unprepared for a disaster of this magnitude.

Trump and Putin’s Arctic Chess Game Is About Far More Than Ukraine

Featuring Ambassador Mike Sfraga (UAF Interim Chancellor) and Dr. Troy Bouffard: "Since the United States purchased what is now the state of Alaska from Russia in 1867," Sfraga said, "we have navigated nuanced and dramatic swings in our relationship, from allies during World War II, to intense adversaries during the Cold War, to cautious partners, to competitors once again—but today we are in a far more complicated geopolitical landscape." As Troy Bouffard, director of the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Center for Arctic Security and Resilience, pointed out, "one of Moscow's top five national priorities (not just Arctic) is development, promotion, and use of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) for commercial maritime purposes."  

Analyst expects Russia-US summit to make history

Сonditions are now set to proceed for the next steps and future plans can be prepared, Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at University of Alaska Fairbanks said

Putin achieves his goals at meeting with Trump, expert says

Troy Bouffard stressed that President Vladimir Putin achieved exactly what he most wanted, which was to begin to repair his relationship with President Donald Trump

How Alaska is preparing for the new Cold War

When Donald Trump looks into the eyes of Vladimir Putin this week and decides whether he is serious about peace, it will be in Alaska: the American state on the front line of a new Cold War between Moscow and Washington.

Remote, Symbolic, Strategic: Alaska Takes Center Stage For Trump-Putin Meeting

US President Trump and Russian President Putin will meet in Alaska on August 15 to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. Alaska was chosen for its equidistant location between Washington and Moscow, its historical ties to Russia, and its logistical and security advantages. Alaska's remote location minimizes large-scale demonstrations against Putin.

Trump-Putin 'going to be more of a listening session'

The meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin is going to be more of a "listening session", a security expert has said. Speaking to Sky's Wilfred Frost, assistant professor of Arctic security at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Troy J Bouffard, says the meeting between Trump and Putin comes at a time when things are "a bit difficult".

Very Cold War: Brutal Arctic Conditions Are Testing U.S. and Allied Forces

Elite combat troops shred their physiques to look like Hollywood hunks. In the Arctic, that can kill you. The cold eats away at soldiers, who lose on average 3,000 calories a day while on exercises in the Arctic Circle—even while eating full rations and before they have taken part in any strenuous activity.

Russia-US summit likely to address Arctic cooperation, expert says

President Vladimir Putin of Russia and President Donald Trump of the United States are likely to touch upon Arctic cooperation at their upcoming meeting, Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at University of Alaska Fairbanks told TASS.

Putin, Trump Likely to Meet in Anchorage City, US Expert Says

During top-level visits, additional security resources are always attracted, usually from capital forces, the speaker explained. The city has well-established transport accessibility and has already hosted high-level talks, such as a meeting between ex-Secretary of State Blinken and a Chinese delegation, he noted. Meanwhile, the state's authorities told RIA Novosti they do not know the exact location of the upcoming meeting. The Kremlin and the White House previously confirmed the Russian and US presidents would meet in Alaska next Friday.  

What the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Entails for the Arctic

While US President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act has been heavily criticized for its tax reliefs for the wealthy and significant cuts in welfare spending, the country's Arctic state, Alaska, may benefit from its implementation.

Operations: Understanding Circumpolar Wildland Fire Capabilities

The Arctic is undergoing profound environmental shifts, marked by unprecedented warming and ecosystem changes. A critical consequence of this transformation is the rise of extreme wildland fire events across all eight Arctic states, especially the United States (Alaska), Canada, and Russia.

Seabed Mining Is a New Front in the US Versus the World

Another chunk of that crumbling edifice known as Pax Americana just fell into the sea — and sank right to the bottom. A would-be deep sea miner’s application for a US license to exploit a patch of the Pacific seabed, triggered by an executive order from President Donald Trump, marks a fundamental break with the so-called rules-based order as it pertains to the deep. As with so much US policy these days, the order identifies a real challenge but addresses it with all the subtlety of a depth charge.

The Golden Dome and implications for the North

Troy Bouffard, Whitney Lackenbauer, and Andrea Charron: U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order (EO) on January 27, 2025, directing the U.S. Department of Defense to build an “Iron Dome for America,” which is shorthand for a next-generation missile defense shield for the United States (and since rebranded as the Golden Dome). “Over the past 40 years, rather than lessening, the threat from next-generation strategic weapons has become more intense and complex with the development by peer and near-peer adversaries of next-generation delivery systems and their own homeland integrated air and missile defense capabilities,” the EO noted. Although skeptics have questioned the cost and technological feasibility of a Golden Dome, the need to defend North America against ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles and other next-generation aerial attacks from peer, near-peer and rogue adversaries is now a U.S. priority.  

What’s the American Base on Greenland? Here’s What to Know.

“He's not welcome,” one Greenlander said. By Jeffrey Gettleman and Maya Tekeli. March 25, 2025. What's the American Base on Greenland? Here's What to Know.

What to know about Pituffik, the only U.S. military base in Greenland

Vice President JD Vance this week willembark on a tripto Greenland, the massive but sparsely populated Arctic island with global strategic value. President Trump has repeatedly signaled in his second term that he is interested inbuying Greenlandor otherwiseacquiring the ice-covered territory partially controlled by Denmark.

Bollinger Shipyards Awarded Nearly $1B to Cover Cost Overruns of Coast Guard Polar Security Cutter Program

Mississippi-based Bollinger Shipyards has received a $951.6 million Fixed-Price-Incentive-Firm Target (FPIF) contract modification from the U.S. Coast Guard to continue designing and constructing the first new heavy icebreaker, also known as the Polar Security Cutter (PSC). The modification comes six years after VT Halter Marine won the original $745.9 million contract. Bollinger acquired Halter Marine in 2022 inheriting construction of up to three vessels for a total original cost of $1.9 billion. 

The Mystery Chinese Crypto Boss Paying Elon Musk a Fortune for Space Mission

Chun Wang, 42, often lives in the remote Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard but flies somewhere nearly every other day on what he says is a personal quest to visit each of Earth's 249 officially designated countries and territories. When Wang takes off from billionaire Elon Musk's Florida launch site in a SpaceX Dragon capsule together with three other amateur astronauts on what is set to be the first ever human space flight to orbit directly over the North and South Poles, scientists and security specialists will also be watching.

U.S. Arctic Presence Falters as Nome Deepwater Port Solicitation Canceled

Efforts to expand U.S. Arctic capabilities face another setback. The long-discussed expansion of the port of Nome to create the country’s first Arctic deep-water port faces undetermined delays following the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ cancellation of solicitation due to cost overruns. Construction was originally slated to begin in 2025.

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

Despite 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.

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"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.

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

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“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.

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

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

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“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?”

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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.

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“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.

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“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.

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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.

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“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.

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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.”  

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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. 

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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."

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“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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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"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."

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

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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.

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

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“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.

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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.

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

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"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.

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“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.”

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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

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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.

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“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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.