French Foreign Minister in Nuuk: "France Stands By Greenland" The French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot visited Nuuk this weekend to demonstrate France's solidarity with Greenland and Denmark, as well as to develop cooperation with the Greenlandic government.
Iceland Has No Defense of Its Own, Still Wants to Contribute More to NATO Iceland is developing a new security and defense policy and will increase its defense-related spending, says the country's Prime Minister, Kristrún Frostadóttir. She recently met with NATO's Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels, who commended the Icelandic contribution to the alliance despite not having its own armed forces.
Iceland Has No Defense of Its Own, Still Wants to Contribute More to NATO Iceland is developing a new security and defense policy and will increase its defense-related spending, says the country's Prime Minister, Kristrún Frostadóttir. She recently met with NATO's Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels, who commended the Icelandic contribution to the alliance despite not having its own armed forces.
Security for Our Sea Lanes of Communication in the High North Op-ed: US Army Veteran and Historian Mike Thornton takes a look at the vulnerability of the High North's undersea cables and the dangers of hybrid warfare. "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance," he writes in this op-ed.
Race for Arctic Cables by 2030 Op-ed: What will it take to make pan-Arctic cables a reality by 2030? Can hyperscalers fill the financial gap? The critical challenge lies in developing resilient infrastructure through strategic discussion, participation, and funding, writes Alexandra Middleton and Bjørn Rønning in this op-ed.
UK and Norway Ministers of Defense: Europe Has to Step Up and Do More "We have a common interest with the USA to protect the border to Russia," said the Norwegian minister of defense while visiting the Norwegian Arctic with his British colleague John Healey. The two ministers agreed that Europe has to do more to secure itself going forward.
Critical of the Swedish Government’s Lack of Investment in the Iron Ore Line The mayor of the Northern Swedish municipality Boden believes the Swedish Government is not taking the further construction of the Iron Ore Line seriously. Sweden recently presented several measures for improving the vital railway but is criticized for not doing enough.
Hard-Packed Snow on the Track Contributed to the Latest Iron Ore Line Derailment According to the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority, hard-packed snow on the track and under the wagons contributed to the derailment of the Iron Ore Line in Northern Sweden in February 2024.
Norway Wants New Submarine Fiber Connection to Svalbard and Jan Mayen: “It Is Urgent” The Norwegian Government want to enter into an agreement with Space Norway to establish a new submarine fiber connection to Svalbard and Jan Mayen. "If we are to have a connection by 2028, it is urgent to start seabed surveys," says Cecilie Myrseth (Labor), Minister of Trade and Industry.
Closer Cooperateon on Transport in the Northern Nordic Region Norway, Sweden, and Finland have established Platform North, a cooperation platform to focus on transport and infrastructure in the Northern Nordic region. "This is a tool to help us reach our joint objectives," says Norwegian Minister of Transport Jon-Ivar Nygård to HNN.
Closer Cooperation on Transport in the Northern Nordic Region Norway, Sweden, and Finland have established Platform North, a cooperation platform to focus on transport and infrastructure in the Northern Nordic region. "This is a tool to help us reach our joint objectives," says Norwegian Minister of Transport Jon-Ivar Nygård to HNN.
Sweden Gives Green Light to Several Railway Projects in the North The Swedish government is giving the green light to start constructing an important railway line in Northern Sweden. In addition, several projects to improve the capacity of the Iron Ore Line are underway. At the same time, the Norwegian Labor Party is proposing the construction of the Northern Norway line.
Finland to Explore Transition to European Track Gauge Finland's Minister of Transport and Communications, Lulu Ranne, says they will explore opportunities to upgrade the country's track gauge to the European standard. Such an upgrade would strengthen the railway connection to Norway and Sweden in the North.
Nordic Cooperation: Joint Infrastructure Strategy To Support Military Mobility During a joint visit to the NATO exercise Immediate Response in Northern Norway, the ministers of transport in Norway, Sweden, and Finland agreed to strengthen cooperation on border-crossing transport corridors to better ensure military needs.
Wants Investment in Critical Infrastructure in Narvik: A Double track on the Ofoten Line Must Be Prioritized The governing parties in Nordland County Council, Northern Norway, wants increased investments in critical infrastructure in Narvik and Ofoten and encourages the government and parliament to prioritize a double track on the Ofoten Railway.
Russia Plans Grand Upgrade of Svalbard Infrastructure The infrastructure in the Russian settlements Barentsburg and Pyramiden is to be modernized, according to Russia's Minister for Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic. The investment framework is estimated at around NOK 300 million.
Rosatom Set to Get Full Responsibility for NSR Activities, Researcher Says New instructions from the Russian president transfers almost all responsibility for activities along the Northern Sea Route to the state-owned company Rosatom. The background is coordination problems during winter supplies before Christmas, which hit supplies for the population along the NSR, says Senior Researcher Arild Moe at FNI.
U.S. Arctic and Sub-Arctic Military Bases Are Unprepared For Impacts of Climate Change A new U.S. Department of Defense report focusing on the climate resilience of the country’s military installations in the northern latitudes concludes that the U.S. military is failing to prepare its facilities for the challenges of long-term climate change.
New Research Identifies Arctic Communities Most at Risk from Melting Permafrost Rising ground temperatures and melting permafrost will adversely affect 55 percent of Arctic coastal zone infrastructure by mid-century. The impact will be largest in Russia and parts of Alaska.
"Her critique suggests that she hasn’t read beyond the summary of recommendations" "Senate Arctic report seeks to empower Northern peoples", is Canadian senator Dennis Glen Patterson's respond to the criticism from Heather Exner-Pirot.
The Report Makes the Federal Government the Be-all and End-all Solution to all the Problems Heather Exner-Pirot describes the recommandations in the report “Northern Lights: A Wake-Up Call for the Future of Canada” like “knee jerk reactions” that have the potential for making the region more economically dependent on the federal government.
Op-Ed: Transport infrastructure in the Arctic: a catalyst for growth for the Russian and global economy
