"Homeland Defense Does Not Stop or Start at the US Border"

"US homeland defense does not stop and start at the US border. Allies are incredibly important to North American homeland defense and situational awareness in the Arctic," emphasizes Fellow Sophie Arts with the German Marshall Fund of the United States. 

She is speaking at the High North Dialogue conference in Bodø, which this week gathers youth, academics, business leaders and politicians concerned with Arctic affairs. 

At the conference, she pointed to the United States' increasing focus on homeland defense and defense of the Western Hemisphere, as well as parallel American pressure on Europeans to take more responsibility for Europe's defense.

Arts has worked extensively on NATO and transantlantic relations with a view to the Arctic. She stresses the contributions of European allies to Arctic security when it comes to developing and supporting situational awareness in the region and ensuring that both the United States and its allies have the capacities to respond to the developments.

"A lot of those response capabilities actually rest with the Allies," she furthermore notes. 

"We need cooperation when it comes to security operations in the Arctic. No ally can achieve their objectives in the region by themselves."

Significance for US security 

To High North News Arts elaborates on the issues of transatlantic relations and the importance of cooperation in the Arctic. 

"In my research, I have focused a lot on Norway, which is absolutely critical to US homeland defense. There have been a lot of important operational and defense industrial efforts where Norway has really contributed to enhancing capabilities and posture in the Arctic." 

She points out, among other things, that the Scandinavian country has played an important role when it comes to situational awareness, particularly by having the vantage point of its geography located close to the Russian Kola Peninsula. 

This is the hub for the Russian Northern Fleet and many of the strategic Russian submarines, which form the backbone of Russia's sea-based nuclear deterrent, and which poses a threat to the United States, having the ability to i.a. launch long-range ballistic missiles over the Arctic towards the US. 

"There is a strong information-sharing culture between Norway and the US, and information that the latter can rely on, and which is critical to US defense," Arts stresses.  

Moreover, she added that Norway and the United States have collaborated on joint projects, including the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission, which brings broadband connectivity to the circumpolar Arctic, supporting both civilian and military operations. 

Much awareness

"How do you think this is viewed in the US by the current administration? Are they aware of the importance of the High North to US security?

"Given different strategic priorities, the top level of government may not be as closely focused on particular operational arrangements and requirements; But there is definitely robust awareness at the military level, including US Northern Command, which is responsible for U.S. homeland defense and the defense of US Northern air and maritime approaches."

"The closer you are to the more operational level, the better you can understand why reliable situational awareness and quick reaction capacity in the High North is critical," she adds.

A strong argument

In an interview with High North News Wednesday, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide (Labor) says Norway's operations in the Barents Sea are now used as one of the strongest arguments vis-a-vis the US.

Echoing Arts, Eide emphasizes that the work Norway does in the High North has direct relevance for US security. 

"What we do up here, from Reitan [the Norwegian Joint Headquarters, ed. note] and the CAOC [Combined Air Operations Centre in Bodø, ed. note], and what our intelligence services and navy does in the Barents Sea, is perhaps the most important argument to why NATO is still relevant," Eide says. 

Arctic in focus 

Both Eide and Arts note how the US President's statements about Greenland have led to increased focus towards the Arctic, not least in the Alliance. 

"The overall message from the rest of the alliance to Trump has been that taking land from another NATO country, or from another country at all, is completely out of the question," emphasizes the Norwegian Foreign Minister.

"We have tried to canalize this thing about Greenland to a broader understanding for Arctic security generally," he adds. 

"There is increased attention to the fact that we are facing competition in the Arctic. However, the focus has not necessarily been constructive and balanced, particularly with regards to the statements about Greenland - and not always reflective of the real threats that we are facing in the Arctic," says Arts with the German Marshall Fund.

"However, in general, a lot of us working on the Arctic have welcomed the fact that there is more focus on the region. For a long time, it has been one of those areas people knew had strategic importance, but which ends up being eclipsed by other priority issues," Arts adds.

"There are so many issues the US needs to focus on, so the focus on the Arctic has really not resulted in the kind of investments you would expect, given the high strategic importance."

Arctic Sentry

One of the latest developments of joint efforts in the Arctic within the Alliance is Arctic Sentry, NATO's new enhanced Vigilance Activity in the Arctic and the High North. 

As HNN has reported, Arctic Sentry was launched in February, following the Davos meeting in January between US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary Mark Rutte, and is set to enhance the alliance's presence in the Arctic region.

"Arctic Sentry is a positive development, drawing on successful examples like Baltic Sentry that really have transformed how NATO allies operate in this region, creating more situational awareness," explains Arts.

"Arctic Sentry creates coherence by planning exercises that are part of this activity more comprehensively. Together this sets the stage for having more of an impact, and I hope in the long term, it may also result in some momentum to build on additional activities."

"A game-changer"

There are also other major developments taking place in the NATO Alliance in relation to the Arctic, such as all the Nordic countries being gathered under the Joint Force Command Norfolk. How do you view this development? 

"JFC Norfolk is still in the process of being staffed up, but I think everyone is considering it to be quite a game changer. It brings cohesiveness and also serves as a connective tissue between NATO and the US force posture in the Arctic, which is very focused on Alaska," she answers and continues: 

"The command serves as a strategic and operational bridge between the North Atlantic and the European Arctic and North America."

The transatlantic relationship

At the panel debate at the High North Dialogue, Arts lastly gave some perspectives on the future of the transatlantic relationship, which to larger extent have been put under pressure during President Trump's second term. 

"Some of the comments that have come out of the White House and the cabinet have been quite concerning to all of us who care about the transatlantic relationship, and know how important allies are to the United States. But, it is also important to emphasize that overall, the US population remains very supportive of the transatlantic relationship. We also see a lot of support from Congress on a bipartisan basis, when it comes to the support of Nato," stresses Arts.

"Looking at the big picture, I think the transatlantic relationship is not going anywhere, but it is shifting and taking on a different shape. We will have a Europe and Canada that invest more, and that will translate into delivering more capabilities. That will also mean that the relationship is more balanced, that there is less dependence on the United States. This, however, also means greater leverage for Europe and Canada in the relationship. We are definitely in a disruptive period, but there are opportunities as well," she concludes.