Should the Arctic Be a Top U.S. Priority?

The Arctic has become a region of intensifying geopolitical competition, particularly following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Moscow’s efforts to expand its Northern Sea Route as an alternative corridor for Russia’s energy and raw materials exports, and for shipping between Europe and Asia. Many also see the Arctic—including Greenland, as well as continental shelf and deep-sea sites—as potentially important sites for energy and mineral projects. The ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz highlights the vital importance of both shipping lanes and key resources to the global economy. Even so, the U.S.-Israel war on Iran has simultaneously highlighted the dilemmas the United States faces in allocating its formidable but ultimately limited military capabilities. To what extent should the United States devote its attention and capabilities to this admittedly strategic region?

On April 15, the Center for the National Interest welcomed two provocative thinkers to debate these issues:

—Dr. Elizabeth Buchanan is a Senior Fellow for U.S.-Australia Alliance Studies at the Center for the National Interest and an expert on polar warfare. She is also a Senior Fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and a co-founder of the polar war program at West Point’s Modern War Institute. Buchanan was previously Head of Research for the Royal Australian Navy and has been a Maritime Fellow at the NATO Defense College in Rome. Her books include So You Want to Own Greenland? and Red Arctic: Russian Arctic Strategy under Putin.

—Dr. Thomas X. (T.X.) Hammes is a Distinguished Fellow at the National Defense University’s Institute for National Strategic Studies, where he has focused on future conflict, the changing character of warfare, military strategy, and other topics. He served for thirty years in the U.S. Marine Corps, including commanding an intelligence battalion, an infantry battalion, and the Chemical Biological Response Force. Hammes has published three books on war and history, as well as a recent article asserting that the Arctic is a strategic distraction for the United States.

Paul Saunders, president of the Center for the National Interest, moderated the discussion.