Arctic Security Working Group gathers in Yellowknife to address changing Arctic landscape

Courtesy Photo | Senior Advisor for Arctic Security Affairs, Randy "Church" Kee provides Arctic insight to participants during the Arctic Security Working Group which was from Nov. 29-30 in Yellowknife, Canada. Canadian Brigadier General Dan Rivière, Commander of Joint Task Force North, and Northwest Territories Deputy Minister, Kyle Seeley, co-chaired the event, which was held under Chatham House rule. Kee, provided the in-person audience of nearly 100 (with more attending virtually) an update on the Ted Stevens Center's development, recent activities, and upcoming events. In keeping with the meeting theme of "All Domain Awareness," the ASWG discussed malign hybrid activities currently or potentially targeting the Arctic region; how Arctic data, information, and knowledge are being or could be obtained and used; and where the current domain awareness gaps lie. (Courtesy photo)  

YELLOWKNIFE, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES, CANADA

12.14.2023

Courtesy Story

Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies

YELLOWKNIFE, CANADA -- The Ted Stevens Center was proud to participate in the Nov. 29-30 meeting of the Arctic Security Working Group (ASWG) in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories (NT), Canada. Canadian Brigadier General Dan Rivière, Commander of Joint Task Force North, and NT Deputy Minister, Kyle Seeley, co-chaired this important event, which was held under Chatham House rule. Senior Arctic Affairs Advisor, Randy "Church" Kee, provided the in-person audience of nearly 100 (with more attending virtually) an update on the Ted Stevens Center's development, recent activities, and upcoming events.

In keeping with the meeting theme of "All Domain Awareness," the ASWG discussed malign hybrid activities currently or potentially targeting the Arctic region; how Arctic data, information, and knowledge are being or could be obtained and used; and where the current domain awareness gaps lie. "We don't consider ourselves at war, but they (malign actors) consider themselves at war with the West," noted one speaker. Canadian Armed Forces interlocutors spoke about the challenges of responding to low-level hybrid warfare techniques that are below the threshold of kinetic conflict but nevertheless pose significant potential threats.

Canadian interlocutors also spoke on the need to understand past and present environmental and operational baselines so that changes in the Arctic can be accurately measured and understood. Canadian Ranger and stewardship programs, in cooperation with Indigenous Inuit groups, are helping to accomplish this in the Canadian Arctic, and adding to collective knowledge on changing weather, ice patterns, and the growing presence of maritime traffic, among other elements. Greenlandic speakers discussed a similar "Guardian" program in use there. Both programs invest in building expertise in these communities through training and periodic exercises. Interlocutors from Canada's long-running scientific Polar Continental Shelf Program provided a summary of their scientific operations throughout the Canadian Arctic, noting their significant personnel, aircraft, and facilities in the region.

A panel on search and rescue (SAR) emphasized the difficulty of emergency response in a vast, rural, and harsh region like the Arctic, and the importance of close working relationships with Arctic communities, whose members are often the volunteers for SAR efforts and have intimate knowledge of the geography, local travel patterns, and dynamic risk factors that could threaten SAR efforts.

Turning to technological issues, a panel discussed how Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) data for maritime traffic was being used to track the growing numbers of vessels transiting Canada's Arctic waters, and what other tracking measures could be used if ships attempted to elude detection by switching off their AIS equipment. One presenter noted that the first purely commercial transit of Canada's Arctic (i.e. not done for demonstration, scientific, or other non-commercial reasons) took place in 2013, but 2022 saw 73 bulk and cargo carrier voyages as well as 40 cruise ship voyages, in addition to smaller numbers of other vessels.

A separate panel addressed the growing cybersecurity risks in the Arctic, describing some of the vulnerabilities and potential impacts, and emphasizing the importance of a whole-of-government prioritization of and response to the issue. One presenter spoke about Canada's research and development on over the horizon radar, satellites, and artificial intelligence.

As the environment evolves, so too does our thinking about the Arctic region. Events like ASWG promotes innovative thinking and the invaluable exchange of ideas through a comprehensive and enriching experience for senior security practitioners from the High North and beyond. By working together with partners and Allies the Ted Steven’s Center will continue to build networks of like-minded security practitioners to realize an Arctic region that is peaceful, stable, prosperous, and cooperative.

• Date Taken: 12.14.2023
• Date Posted: 12.14.2023 18:47
• Story ID: 460005
• Location: YELLOWKNIFE, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES, CA