By Morgan Phillips
Gen. Grynkewich says the nations are conducting joint patrols north of Alaska and near Canada for strategic purposes
Russia and China are expanding their presence in the Arctic for strategic — not scientific — reasons, according to a senior U.S. commander.
“It’s not for peaceful reasons,” said Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the supreme allied commander Europe, at a conference in Sweden Sunday.
“They’re not studying the seals and the polar bears,” he went on. “They’re out there doing bathymetric surveys and trying to figure out how they can counter NATO capabilities on and under the sea. So that’s something that could grow very quickly, and we need to be mindful of it and ready for it.”
A bathymetric survey refers to the mapping of the ocean floor, using sonar and other sensors to measure underwater depth and terrain. The surveys can support submarine navigation, identifying underwater chokepoints, and map routes for undersea cables or sensors.
He said Russia and China increasingly are conducting joint patrols north of Alaska and near Canada, but he does not see an immediate threat, “partly because Russia is so preoccupied with Ukraine.”
President Donald Trump has insisted the U.S. must take control of Greenland for national security reasons, citing its strategic location between North America and Europe and its proximity to emerging Arctic shipping routes and military transit corridors.
Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, sits astride key sea and air lanes that U.S. and NATO officials view as increasingly important as melting ice opens access to the Arctic Ocean. The island also hosts a major U.S. military installation at Pituffik Space Base, which plays a role in missile warning, space surveillance and Arctic operations.