US Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Karl Schultz issued a stark warning about concerns with Moscow’s domination due to Washington’s inability to keep up with Russia. The Arctic is considered by some as the world’s latest military frontier. According to Newsweek, Admiral Schultz made the warning at the Aspen Security Conference.
He said: “Russia has a huge Arctic coastline, they have clear Arctic interest, they derive their GDP from there.
“From the security standpoint and the militarising of the Arctic, that is probably the future place for a contentious situation.”
Previously documents have been released by the US explaining its consideration on the Arctic.
US officials believe the northern territory will be vital as superpowers such as Russia and China compete for global power.
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Reports suggest that Moscow is pushing more resource on the land.
China also claimed it was a “near-Arctic” power.
Admiral Schultz added that the US “should be concerned about Russia, who is way ahead of us in this game, and the emerging aggressive China, who is pushing into the game”.
The Arctic’s importance to Russia is proven in Moscow’s willingness to boost its resources in the harsh area.
It currently has a fleet of dozens of icebreakers, whereas the US boasts just two.
Previously, Admiral Schultz has said: “We talk about the Arctic through a different lens now.
“We talk about the Arctic as a competitive space.He noted that both Russia and China are bolstering their Arctic capability, and stressed the U.S must do the same.
“We’re championing increased capabilities in the Arctic, we’re championing better communications, better domain awareness, we’re talking about innovation, we’re talking about resiliency, we’re talking about rule-based order.
“I want to see the Arctic remain a peaceful domain.
China’s a self-declared Arctic state. They’re not one of the eight Arctic nations, so for me, for the service, its presence equals influence.”