Oceanspace
News
 Washington
Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. -- The U.S. Navy took a bold look into the future
this past week by hosting a multinational symposium to evaluate the impact of
a changing environment on naval operations in the arctic regions. The arctic ice
cap is decreasing in thickness and area of coverage, a fact confirmed by an increasing
body of data gathered by the National Ice Center/Naval Ice Center in Suitland,
Maryland. Vessels and aircraft operating in the arctic have reported diminished
summer ice coverage and scientific models consistently suggest seasonal sea lanes
through a formerly ice-locked arctic may appear as soon as 2015. Summertime disappearance
of the ice cap could be possible by 2050 if the trend continues. The implications
for national security and by extension, the impact on naval operations, are significant.
The "Naval Operations in an Ice Free Arctic" symposium was held April
17-18 at the Washington Navy Yard to specifically address these issues. Sponsored
by the Oceanographer of the Navy, the Office of Naval Research, and the Arctic
Research Commission, and hosted by the Naval Ice Center, the event brought together
a diverse collection of representatives from the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, as
well as various members from the scientific community and arctic subject matter
experts. Canadian armed forces and research representatives and officers from
the Royal Navy contributed their observations and ideas as well to add to the
richness of the dialogue. In his keynote address, RAdm. Daniel Bowler, the director
of warfare integration and assessment, stated, "It is your work here that will
potentially lead to the development of the requirements for future programs that
will allow us to operate effectively in this new arena."
Deliberations
during this event concluded that climatic change on such a grand scale will present
not only unique environmental challenges but also unique strategic and operational
challenges to combined maritime forces. Meeting these challenges will require
an assessment of capabilities and modification to current policies and strategies.
Specific areas of discussion included the design and employment of weapons systems,
critical shortfalls in the areas of logistics support, weather prediction and
modeling, communications, and navigation.
Dr. Richard Spinrad, technical
director for the Oceanographer of the Navy, observed, "It is important to start
this assessment early so that appropriate measures can be taken now to ensure
system, tactical, and policy concerns are addressed. Weapons system design and
acquisition takes many years and development of sound tactics, doctrine, and policy
take nearly as long to codify for those new systems." The Honorable George Newton,
chairman of the Arctic Research Commission, summarized the key symposium findings
and reviewed options for furthering the discussion in the future. He commended
the group for its work and noted "The output from this symposium will provide
initial guidance in determining potential naval missions and required capabilities
in the arctic region." |
