Does NATO do enough in the Arctic region to contain Russia and its Chinese partner?
Is this sufficient to increase NATO capabilities in the Arctic?
On the military side of NATO, the establishment in 2019 of NATO Joint Force Command Norfolk (JFC NF) is important because it brings most of NATO’s Arctic activity under one command. The command is also staffed with many officers from the Arctic states, thus serving as an integration hub for the states in question, as well as other allies who operate in the Arctic, such as the UK and the Netherlands. JFC NF is also responsible for NATO’s Regional Plan Northwest, which covers the north Atlantic Ocean, the Arctic and the Nordic region. Allied operations and exercises in the High North are therefore often related to this plan in one way or the other.
To me, that's close but no cigar. Yes, the Arctic is included in JFC NF. But it is not exclusively focused on mastering that region and its unique challenges. Is America's Nordic Bridge initiative carved out of NORTHCOM and bringing other entities in to better coordinate Arctic missions enough?
And if America sets up POLARCOM, America could better contribute to and coordinate with NATO's JEF members in the Arctic to face China-supported Russia.
Then, JFC NF could narrow its scope to the North Atlantic and sub-Arctic Nordic region.
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NOTE: Map from NOAA.
