Vanguard Magazine

www.vanguardcanada.com DECEMBER 2020/JANUARY 2021 45 U.S. Should Recognize the LaSt word By coL Pierre LeBLANc (ret'd) T he Arctic's capacity as a stra- tegic buffer is eroding rapidly, with the disappearance of ice making it an avenue of threat to the U.S. homeland. With the power competition between China, Russia, and the United States growing in the Arctic it may be wise for the latter to recognize the Northwest Passage as internal waters of Canada. This would deny the right of transit to China and Rus- sia not only on the surface of the passage but also for the air column above and the waters below (submerged submarine). It would deny a strategic waterway to them. The U.S. government has been slow to recognize the fast-developing Arctic as a new strategic theatre of competition where China and Russia have been expanding rapidly. The U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Navy have now developed Arctic strategies and U.S. Pres- ident Donald Trump is now pushing for the U.S. Coast Guard to acquire up to 10 icebreakers. The U.S. has recently appointed James DeHart, a career diplomat, as its Arctic policy czar to specifically monitor China and Russia. DeHart suggested that his ap- pointment marks a turning point in the engagement of the United States in the Arctic. In 2004, then-U.S. ambassador Paul Cellucci recommended a review of the U.S. position. He believed that Can- ada could protect the Arctic Archipelago and its waters. Cellucci said he believed that it was in the United States' security interests "that the Northwest Passage be considered part of Canada." Recently, China, which has declared it- recogNiziNg The NorThwesT Passage as caNadiaN would deNy access To chiNa aNd russia aNd safeguard u.s. securiTy. USCGC TAHOMA (right) and HDMS TRITON (le) during Operation NANOOK 2020. Photo: DND arCtiC waterS aS Canadian self a "near Arctic nation," has started to behave more aggressively on the world scene, supported by its growing econom- ic and military power. It has published a guide on the use of the Northwest Pas- sage, and its icebreaker Xue Long has vis- ited the Arctic on several occasions. Xue Long 2 is now in the process of doing its first Arctic voyage. It now has a navy larger than the U.S.'s and is in the process of building its own aircraft carriers and amphibious assault crafts, which are pow- er projection assets. Despite its commit- ment not to militarize the Spratly Islands, it has done so. It has ignored a decision of the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration in favour of the Philippines in the South China Sea. It has set debt traps in Africa to secure strategic assets world- wide. The Chinese Coast Guard vessels

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