Sullivan Reacts to New National Strategy for the Arctic

Press Release

U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today issued the following statement in response to the White House's release of a new "National Strategy for the Arctic Region."

"When I first came to the Senate, the Obama administration had an Arctic strategy document that was thirteen pages long, filled with mostly pictures, mentioned climate change five times, and only mentioned Russia in a footnote. I fought for legislation requiring the Pentagon and all of the military services to produce serious, detailed strategies to protect our nation's interests in the Arctic. These strategies are intended to send a strong message to our allies and adversaries that the United States will project and sustain power throughout the Arctic now and into the future.

"The White House's new Arctic Strategy, released today, is an improvement from where we were in 2013, but still lacks a level of detail and sober-minded seriousness that we need to contend with this new era of authoritarian aggression led by Russia's dictator, Vladimir Putin, and China's dictator, Xi Jinping.

"I appreciate the strategy's full-throated support for increasing America's operational capabilities, infrastructure, and Coast Guard and naval vessels in the Arctic, and for elevating the voices and interests of the people who actually live in the Arctic--Alaskans who've inhabited these lands for millennia

"However, the document's excessive focus on climate change--in a security strategy--sends a troubling message: that despite America's increasing national economic and security interests in the Arctic that are being directly challenged by Russia, and increasingly challenged by China, the administration will continue to focus on shutting down responsible resource development, like oil, natural gas, and critical minerals in Alaska. Such actions clearly undermine America's national security interests. For example, while the strategy highlights the opportunity presented by "significant deposits of in-demand minerals,' this assertion is completely at odds with the Biden administration's own actions, like shutting down Alaska's Ambler Access Project.

"Going forward, the administration needs to undertake a dramatic course correction on resource development opportunities in the Arctic, fully acknowledge the implications of long-term strategic competition, not only with Russia, but in particular with China, and support this security strategy with the investments necessary to defend our homeland."

In the FY 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Sen. Sullivan secured a provision requiring the secretary of defense and the service secretaries to submit a plan on how they will implement the Department of Defense's (DOD) 2019 Arctic Strategy to defend the homeland, preserve freedom of the seas, and develop Arctic infrastructure and capabilities.

In December 2021, the Senate passed the FY 2022 NDAA that included the Sullivan-authored Arctic Security Initiative Act of 2021. This legislation requires the DOD to conduct a security assessment of the Arctic region and establish an Arctic Security Initiative (ASI) with a five-year plan to fully resource the DOD and individual service-specific strategies for the Arctic that have been released over the past several years. U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) would lead the independent assessment in coordination with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) and U.S. European Command (USEUCOM).

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