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Uh Well , good afternoon , everybody . 

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Um , we're here today to announce the 

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release of the 2024 Department of 

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Defense Arctic Strategy . Just a few 

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moments . You'll hear opening remarks 

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from our 35th Deputy Secretary of 

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Defense Kathleen Hicks . Um , she'll 

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then take a few questions and depart . 

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I'll call on reporters . Please don't 

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shout out questions if you have a 

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question for the deputy specifically 

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and I'm not able to ask it today . 

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We're on a bit of a limited timeline . 

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Uh , please feel free to reach out to 

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me and I'll make sure you get a 

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response to your question following , 

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uh , her brief , uh , Deputy Secretary 

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of Defense for Arctic and Global 

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resilience . Iris Ferguson will take 

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the podium for brief remarks and answer 

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any additional Q and A . Um , as you're 

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well aware , the briefings on record 

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and live streamed and with that , I'll 

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turn it over to Deputy Secretary Hicks . 

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Great . Thank you very much to Eric and 

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good afternoon everyone . So it's a big 

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pleasure to be with you here today to 

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talk about the Department of Defense's 

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New Arctic Strategy which Secretary 

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Austin recently signed . Let me begin 

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by expressing my gratitude to Deputy 

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Assistant Secretary of Defense , Iris 

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Ferguson and her team for their 

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leadership in crafting this important 

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and influential guidance . The Arctic 

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region of the United States is critical 

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to the defense of our homeland , the 

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protection of us national sovereignty 

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and the preservation of our defense 

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treaty commitments . It's home to 

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significant defense infrastructure 

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important for homeland defense and 

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projecting global power , radars and 

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sensors in Alaska detect threats to the 

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homeland and Alaska's strategic 

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location places it at the crossroads 

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between the Indo Pacific and Europe . 

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Our Arctic strategy will guide the 

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department's efforts to ensure that the 

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Arctic remains a secure and stable 

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region and now is a critical time in 

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the region . Climate change is 

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fundamentally altering the Arctic and 

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with it geopolitics and us defense 

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missions , the readiness of our forces 

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for those missions is always foremost 

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on our minds . And that's why for 

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decades across Republican and 

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Democratic administrations , the 

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department has been seeking to ensure 

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our military capabilities can meet the 

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mark even in the face of a changing 

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climate , climate change . And the 

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resulting shifts in the operating 

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environment require us to rethink how 

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we best protect our warfighters and 

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prevent conflict . This transformation 

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affects how we support our allies and 

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partners and it impacts our ability to 

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deter and if needed to feed our 

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adversaries . And that's exactly what 

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this new Arctic strategy takes into 

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account . The Arctic is strategically 

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vital to us national security . Our 

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forces can reach about any theater in 

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the northern hemisphere by way of the 

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Arctic , yet melting Arctic ice caps 

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are opening new shipping lanes and 

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attracting increased interest in 

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activity from both the People's 

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Republic of China and Russia . While 

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not an Arctic state , the PR C seeks 

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greater influence in the region , 

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greater access to the region and a 

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greater say in its governance . That's 

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concerning given that it's the only 

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strategic competitor with the will and 

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increasingly the wherewithal to remake 

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the international order . That's why 

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you hear us refer to the PR C as our 

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pacing challenge . At the same time , 

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Russia continues to pose an acute 

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threat to security and stability in the 

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region . Despite its losses in Ukraine , 

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Russia has continued to build up its 

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military infrastructure in the Arctic 

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and assert excessive claims over Arctic 

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waters . Russia's ongoing illegal war 

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in Ukraine has rendered government to 

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government cooper operation on Arctic 

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matters . Virtually impossible . More 

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troubling . We've seen growing 

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co-operation between the PR C and 

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Russia in the Arctic , commercially 

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with the PR C being a major funder of 

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Russian energy exploitation in the 

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Arctic and increasingly militarily with 

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Russia and China conducting joint 

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exercises off the coast of Alaska . All 

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of these challenges have been amplified 

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because the effects of climate change 

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are rapidly warming , temperatures and 

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thinning ice coverage and it's enabling 

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all of this activity . So we must have 

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a strategy that ensures our military 

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readiness in the face of these changes , 

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ensuring our ability to quickly respond 

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to threats in the region and to the 

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overall demands they place on our force . 

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Our Arctic strategy adopts a monitor 

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and respond approach in the region . It 

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is underpinned by robust domain 

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awareness and intelligence , 

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surveillance and reconnaissance 

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capabilities , cooper operation with 

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our allies and partners and deterrent 

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power enabled by the agility of the 

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joint force . The strategy focuses on 

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enhancing our domain awareness and 

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Arctic capabilities , engaging with our 

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allies and partners and exercising 

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calibrated presence in the region in 

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the Arctic . The strategic can quickly 

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become tactical , ensuring that our 

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troops have the training , the gear and 

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the operating procedures for the unique 

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Arctic environment could be the 

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difference between mission success and 

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failure . It is imperative that the 

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joint force is equipped and trained 

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with what they need to operate in the 

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Arctic and while succeeding in the 

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Arctic will require effort , the dod 

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will not navigate these challenges 

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alone . The Arctic is home to a unique 

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concentration of like minded , capable 

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allies and a network of strong partners . 

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Engagement with this network is 

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foundational to our approach . For 

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example , key to our strategy is 

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modernizing Norad's ability to detect 

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and track threats emerging from and 

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through the Arctic in partnership with 

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Canada . And as we saw at the 

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Washington summit two weeks ago , the 

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historic accession of Finland and 

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Sweden to the NATO alliance not only 

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makes them safer , but it makes our 

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alliance stronger , including in the 

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high North Finland and Sweden's 

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historic decision to join NATO has made 

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all seven like minded Arctic nations 

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allies . We will continue to train and 

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exercise alongside each other , 

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strengthening deterrence , deepening 

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cooper operation and ensuring our 

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shared security in the Arctic . 

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Finally , the joint force will continue 

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to exercise calibrated presence in the 

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region . This will include not only 

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regular training and exercises that 

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improve the joint forces ability to 

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operate in the difficult Arctic 

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environment but also the day to day 

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operations that underpin defense and 

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deterrence in the region . This is 

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especially the case in Alaska where day 

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in and day out , the joint force is 

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executing the vital homeland defense 

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mission . Rest assured that the 

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department is investing in the Arctic 

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across all domains . We've invested in 

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ground and air capabilities and 

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infrastructure including in the 

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development of a system of sensors that 

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will provide enhanced air and maritime 

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domain awareness and in extreme cold 

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weather equipment and gear . We've 

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invested in space capabilities that 

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further improve domain awareness and 

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provide a clear picture of the Arctic 

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operating environment and we've 

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invested in the maritime domain . In 

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fact , the Navy has launched several 

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research and development efforts to 

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enhance capabilities that enable more 

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accurate modeling and predictions of 

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the Arctic Domain . The Department of 

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Defense is not acting alone advancing 

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this strategy is part of a whole of 

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government effort to protect us 

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interests in the Arctic . For example , 

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the Department of Defense supports the 

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US coast Guards program to strengthen 

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us icebreaking capability by procuring 

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three new polar security cutters . And 

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in fact , the United States , Canada 

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and Finland recently announced our 

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intent to collaborate on icebreaker 

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production , which is yet another 

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example of the type of co-operation we 

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can leverage . While it's important to 

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note that the department doesn't budget 

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by region . We will continue to invest 

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in ways that enable the joint force to 

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deploy at the time and place of our 

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choosing to defend us national 

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interests as the Arctic security 

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environment continues to evolve , dod 

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remains ready to adapt to protect our 

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national interests . This new Arctic 

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strategy is an important step forward 

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in ensuring that the Arctic remains 

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stable and secure now and into the 

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future . I'd like to once again thank 

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Deputy Assistant Secretary Ferguson for 

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her work and the tireless work of her 

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team in developing this strategy . 

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She'll follow up with more details 

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about the strategy , but first , I am 

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happy to take a few questions . Thank 

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you . Thank you , Deputy Secretary Lida 

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Baldur from Associated press . Thank 

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you . Uh Thanks for doing this . Uh 

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You've mentioned investment a lot and 

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we've frankly been hearing for the last 

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more than 10 years about the need for 

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greater investment in the Arctic , 

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including greater sensors , et cetera . 

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Can you give us a sense just from a 

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budgetary perspective ? Um Even though 

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you know , budget by region , what has 

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the Pentagon done for investing in the 

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last couple of years ? Since the 

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previous strategy came out . And how 

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much do you expect the department to 

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actually invest in the next couple of 

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years in order to begin to catch up 

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with Russia and China ? And then I had 

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a very quick uh Russia China question . 

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So um we , as I said , we don't budget 

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by region . We also don't arms race . 

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So we don't benchmark what we spend or 

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how we invest in capabilities 

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necessarily by the way in which an 

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adversary or a potential competitor 

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chooses to do . So , so our approach is 

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about taking the strategy which we now 

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have and applying against it , the 

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kinds of capabilities we think are 

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important for realizing that strategy . 

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So uh to that end the focus on ensuring 

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a stable and secure region , we're very 

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focused , of course , on domain 

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awareness , we're very focused on 

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making sure we can access the from 

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space down to under sea . Some of those 

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are enduring capabilities you can think 

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of that we've long had in other areas . 

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As you point out , we want to make um 

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increased investments . So those 

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increased investments I mentioned 

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already include the Archer ground based 

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sensor network . That's that ground 

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based sensor network I mentioned um 

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that we've been investing in recently 

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the last several years and over three 

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00:10:18,531 --> 00:10:20,770
years , it's about $43 million there . 

280
00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:23,496
We've also been investing in norad's 

281
00:10:23,500 --> 00:10:25,444
long range radar sites , including 

282
00:10:25,444 --> 00:10:27,419
significant investment in the 

283
00:10:27,429 --> 00:10:29,540
supporting infrastructure in the tens 

284
00:10:29,540 --> 00:10:31,707
of millions of dollars . Again , we of 

285
00:10:31,707 --> 00:10:33,818
course , have been investing in our , 

286
00:10:33,818 --> 00:10:36,040
um , space base up in Greenland . We've 

287
00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:38,669
activated the 11th Airborne division up 

288
00:10:38,679 --> 00:10:40,790
in Alaska , which I visited in May of 

289
00:10:40,790 --> 00:10:43,080
2023 as they were standing up and 

290
00:10:43,090 --> 00:10:45,200
they're the Arctic angels now really 

291
00:10:45,210 --> 00:10:47,321
focused , as I said on making sure at 

292
00:10:47,321 --> 00:10:49,543
that tactical level that we're training 

293
00:10:49,543 --> 00:10:51,599
appropriately and , and investing in 

294
00:10:51,599 --> 00:10:53,877
the gear and other capabilities needed . 

295
00:10:53,877 --> 00:10:56,869
Um And I'll also add that operational 

296
00:10:56,880 --> 00:10:59,080
footprint , uh being able to stand up 

297
00:10:59,090 --> 00:11:01,312
and operate and exercise . We have lots 

298
00:11:01,312 --> 00:11:03,368
of exercises we're doing . Those are 

299
00:11:03,368 --> 00:11:05,312
investment streams as well . Um As 

300
00:11:05,312 --> 00:11:06,923
opposed to strictly into the 

301
00:11:06,923 --> 00:11:08,979
capabilities themselves , it's about 

302
00:11:08,979 --> 00:11:10,923
making sure we're ready to execute 

303
00:11:10,923 --> 00:11:12,868
missions there . So that's a quick 

304
00:11:12,868 --> 00:11:15,090
summary of some of the areas we've been 

305
00:11:15,090 --> 00:11:17,201
investing in . Just a very quick . Is 

306
00:11:17,201 --> 00:11:19,312
there any way for you to quantify the 

307
00:11:19,312 --> 00:11:21,257
increase you've seen in Russia and 

308
00:11:21,257 --> 00:11:23,423
China activity in that region over the 

309
00:11:23,423 --> 00:11:25,534
past couple of years ? I don't have a 

310
00:11:25,534 --> 00:11:27,534
way to quantify it . I think what I 

311
00:11:27,534 --> 00:11:29,590
would say is we're very uh it's very 

312
00:11:29,590 --> 00:11:31,312
noticeable and concerning both 

313
00:11:31,312 --> 00:11:33,534
individually , the Russians of course , 

314
00:11:33,534 --> 00:11:35,701
have , even as they've continued their 

315
00:11:35,701 --> 00:11:37,534
operation , um their war in , in 

316
00:11:37,534 --> 00:11:39,590
Ukraine , they've been continuing to 

317
00:11:39,590 --> 00:11:41,757
invest in their infrastructure through 

318
00:11:41,757 --> 00:11:43,757
our uh throughout the um the Arctic 

319
00:11:43,757 --> 00:11:45,812
region that they can access and then 

320
00:11:45,812 --> 00:11:47,923
we've seen much more uh pr C activity 

321
00:11:47,923 --> 00:11:49,820
uh both in terms of uh so called 

322
00:11:49,830 --> 00:11:52,099
research . But because of their c um 

323
00:11:52,109 --> 00:11:54,940
fusion . We always have concern that 

324
00:11:54,950 --> 00:11:57,169
there's a military aspect to that and 

325
00:11:57,179 --> 00:11:59,950
also in terms of their activities , for 

326
00:11:59,960 --> 00:12:02,016
instance , with the Russians , um in 

327
00:12:02,016 --> 00:12:04,238
terms of bomber patrols , maritime , et 

328
00:12:04,238 --> 00:12:06,238
cetera , ok . We'll move across the 

329
00:12:06,238 --> 00:12:08,460
room to Alex Horton from the Washington 

330
00:12:08,460 --> 00:12:10,571
Post . Yeah , thanks for doing this . 

331
00:12:10,571 --> 00:12:12,682
Um So , you know , you spoke a little 

332
00:12:12,682 --> 00:12:15,016
bit about the infrastructure challenges , 

333
00:12:15,016 --> 00:12:14,119
but what are something like the 

334
00:12:14,130 --> 00:12:16,489
regional and infrastructure realities 

335
00:12:16,500 --> 00:12:18,919
that make operations in this area 

336
00:12:18,929 --> 00:12:20,985
difficult ? Um You know , you talked 

337
00:12:20,985 --> 00:12:23,096
about space based solutions , they'll 

338
00:12:23,096 --> 00:12:25,040
understand like just the nature of 

339
00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:27,262
satellites past the Arctic circle makes 

340
00:12:27,262 --> 00:12:29,318
it really difficult . So how are you 

341
00:12:29,318 --> 00:12:31,207
trying to get around all of these 

342
00:12:31,207 --> 00:12:33,207
realities of the region ? Sure . So 

343
00:12:33,207 --> 00:12:32,849
some of our capabilities are 

344
00:12:32,859 --> 00:12:36,299
immediately applicable . Um And we want 

345
00:12:36,309 --> 00:12:38,420
to think about that in a global force 

346
00:12:38,420 --> 00:12:40,580
sense . How do we balance potential 

347
00:12:40,590 --> 00:12:42,979
demand in this region versus demand in 

348
00:12:42,989 --> 00:12:45,500
other regions ? But to your point , we 

349
00:12:45,510 --> 00:12:48,460
know there are cases in which we want 

350
00:12:48,469 --> 00:12:50,358
to make sure our capabilities can 

351
00:12:50,358 --> 00:12:52,140
operate in a very harsh Arctic 

352
00:12:52,150 --> 00:12:55,750
environment . It , while the climate 

353
00:12:55,760 --> 00:12:58,320
is changing , it's opening up sea lanes 

354
00:12:58,330 --> 00:13:00,409
is opening up access , but it's not 

355
00:13:00,479 --> 00:13:02,535
currently warming to the point where 

356
00:13:02,535 --> 00:13:04,710
it's not noticeably harsh uh up in the 

357
00:13:04,719 --> 00:13:06,869
Arctic . So in some cases , we're 

358
00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:08,769
having to make sure our equipment 

359
00:13:08,769 --> 00:13:10,880
functions just as we had to do during 

360
00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:13,213
uh everywhere from desert storm forward , 

361
00:13:13,213 --> 00:13:15,269
we had to make sure we had equipment 

362
00:13:15,269 --> 00:13:15,049
for instance , that could operate in 

363
00:13:15,059 --> 00:13:17,226
the desert . We need to make sure that 

364
00:13:17,226 --> 00:13:19,226
the capabilities that we bring as a 

365
00:13:19,226 --> 00:13:21,170
joint force can operate um in that 

366
00:13:21,170 --> 00:13:23,337
environment . And without getting into 

367
00:13:23,337 --> 00:13:25,615
um sort of specific systems or details , 

368
00:13:25,615 --> 00:13:27,919
we also have to check to see um you 

369
00:13:27,929 --> 00:13:29,818
know , to , to , to the issue you 

370
00:13:29,818 --> 00:13:33,000
raised where we have limitations on um 

371
00:13:33,010 --> 00:13:35,849
accessing um a all that we want to be 

372
00:13:35,859 --> 00:13:37,849
able to see in the environment and 

373
00:13:37,859 --> 00:13:40,081
making sure we have the capabilities to 

374
00:13:40,081 --> 00:13:42,570
bring to bear for that . And we're 

375
00:13:42,580 --> 00:13:44,747
gonna have to go to last question . Uh 

376
00:13:44,747 --> 00:13:46,636
Patrick Tucker from defense one , 

377
00:13:46,636 --> 00:13:48,858
Patrick Tucker from defense one . So as 

378
00:13:48,858 --> 00:13:50,913
you just pointed out , the ARCTIC is 

379
00:13:50,913 --> 00:13:52,913
becoming more accessible , but it's 

380
00:13:52,913 --> 00:13:55,024
still a very difficult environment to 

381
00:13:55,024 --> 00:13:57,191
uh place human beings , especially for 

382
00:13:57,191 --> 00:13:59,191
long periods of time . Uh Do recent 

383
00:13:59,191 --> 00:13:59,070
advances in artificial intelligence and 

384
00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:01,820
autonomy support this strategy . And if 

385
00:14:01,830 --> 00:14:03,886
so how , how does uh that continuous 

386
00:14:03,886 --> 00:14:05,774
monitoring mission for instance , 

387
00:14:05,774 --> 00:14:07,830
become more practical and easier now 

388
00:14:07,830 --> 00:14:10,108
because of advances in A I or autonomy , 

389
00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:13,330
I'll take uh first uh kind of un crude 

390
00:14:13,340 --> 00:14:15,570
and autonomy and then the A I piece . 

391
00:14:15,650 --> 00:14:18,460
So uh domain awareness missions are 

392
00:14:18,469 --> 00:14:21,650
well suited for um un crude systems 

393
00:14:21,659 --> 00:14:23,826
approaches in all domains . So sensing 

394
00:14:23,826 --> 00:14:27,140
missions , ISR et cetera , um so this 

395
00:14:27,150 --> 00:14:30,260
is a clear area where we can apply some 

396
00:14:30,270 --> 00:14:32,492
of what we're doing in the department . 

397
00:14:32,500 --> 00:14:34,729
Um It , you know , the features we're 

398
00:14:34,739 --> 00:14:36,961
looking for , there are endurance , not 

399
00:14:36,961 --> 00:14:39,183
putting humans at risk again in a harsh 

400
00:14:39,183 --> 00:14:42,229
environment . Um But at the same time 

401
00:14:42,239 --> 00:14:44,295
to the point I was just making , you 

402
00:14:44,295 --> 00:14:46,517
have to ensure that even those on crude 

403
00:14:46,517 --> 00:14:48,739
systems are survivable to long enough , 

404
00:14:48,739 --> 00:14:50,350
at least to endure or are so 

405
00:14:50,350 --> 00:14:52,295
inexpensive that their uh tradable 

406
00:14:52,295 --> 00:14:54,406
nature is , is still worth it for the 

407
00:14:54,406 --> 00:14:56,406
mission you're putting them on . So 

408
00:14:56,406 --> 00:14:58,239
that means a lot of research and 

409
00:14:58,239 --> 00:14:58,179
development and testing and that's 

410
00:14:58,190 --> 00:15:00,750
where we're focused um in this area , 

411
00:15:00,919 --> 00:15:03,030
looking at the possibilities of where 

412
00:15:03,030 --> 00:15:05,559
on , on crude systems can bring value . 

413
00:15:05,890 --> 00:15:07,668
Uh But I think as replicator is 

414
00:15:07,668 --> 00:15:09,834
demonstrated , we are ready to kind of 

415
00:15:09,834 --> 00:15:13,469
catalyze um where we can the movement 

416
00:15:13,479 --> 00:15:15,646
toward these sorts of capabilities and 

417
00:15:15,646 --> 00:15:17,969
really see their potential that then 

418
00:15:17,979 --> 00:15:19,812
links directly . I think to your 

419
00:15:19,812 --> 00:15:22,559
question on A I . Um There are many 

420
00:15:22,570 --> 00:15:24,929
applications I think of A I for the 

421
00:15:24,940 --> 00:15:27,739
Arctic domain , I think to this to the 

422
00:15:27,750 --> 00:15:31,340
prior point on on crude systems A I is 

423
00:15:31,349 --> 00:15:33,405
ideal at helping us make sense of an 

424
00:15:33,405 --> 00:15:35,293
environment pattern recognition , 

425
00:15:35,293 --> 00:15:37,640
bringing in data and understanding the 

426
00:15:37,650 --> 00:15:39,706
environment to make better decisions 

427
00:15:39,706 --> 00:15:41,761
and faster decisions . And this is a 

428
00:15:41,761 --> 00:15:43,817
space where I think bringing the two 

429
00:15:43,817 --> 00:15:45,983
together or just in general being able 

430
00:15:45,983 --> 00:15:48,700
to leverage A I can really advantage us . 

431
00:15:48,799 --> 00:15:51,719
Um So that's , it's , that's true 

432
00:15:51,729 --> 00:15:53,729
across our force . We're looking to 

433
00:15:53,729 --> 00:15:55,849
leverage A I in general . Um And I 

434
00:15:55,859 --> 00:15:58,081
think it's a , it's a perfect domain in 

435
00:15:58,081 --> 00:16:00,026
which to understand how and why it 

436
00:16:00,026 --> 00:16:03,190
brings capability . Ok . Thank you very 

437
00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:05,200
much , Deputy Secretary . Thank you 

438
00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:07,422
very much . If there's any follow ups , 

439
00:16:07,422 --> 00:16:09,533
I'm happy to take those questions and 

440
00:16:09,533 --> 00:16:08,900
get those answered for you . And then 

441
00:16:08,909 --> 00:16:11,020
Des D Ferguson will be stepping up in 

442
00:16:11,020 --> 00:16:14,700
just a moment . Thanks . Good afternoon , 

443
00:16:14,710 --> 00:16:16,710
ladies and gentlemen . Um I'm gonna 

444
00:16:16,710 --> 00:16:18,821
introduce Iris Ferguson who currently 

445
00:16:18,821 --> 00:16:20,543
serves as the Deputy Assistant 

446
00:16:20,543 --> 00:16:22,543
Secretary of Defense for Arctic and 

447
00:16:22,543 --> 00:16:22,500
Global resilience and she is the 

448
00:16:22,510 --> 00:16:24,621
principal advisor to the Secretary of 

449
00:16:24,621 --> 00:16:26,510
Defense and Senior Leadership for 

450
00:16:26,510 --> 00:16:28,510
policy matters pertaining to Arctic 

451
00:16:28,510 --> 00:16:30,399
security and global resilience to 

452
00:16:30,399 --> 00:16:32,621
include efforts on climate adaptation , 

453
00:16:32,621 --> 00:16:34,566
mitigation and energy resilience . 

454
00:16:34,630 --> 00:16:36,574
Prior to her current appointment , 

455
00:16:36,574 --> 00:16:38,741
Dazzy Ferguson was a senior adviser on 

456
00:16:38,741 --> 00:16:40,908
Arctic and climate security issues for 

457
00:16:40,908 --> 00:16:42,963
the US Air Force Futures and the Air 

458
00:16:42,963 --> 00:16:44,852
Force , Deputy Chief of Staff for 

459
00:16:44,852 --> 00:16:46,852
operations . In that capacity . She 

460
00:16:46,852 --> 00:16:49,074
authored and implemented the Department 

461
00:16:49,074 --> 00:16:51,130
of the Air Force's Arctic strategy , 

462
00:16:51,130 --> 00:16:52,908
including advising on strategic 

463
00:16:52,908 --> 00:16:54,519
initiatives , operations and 

464
00:16:54,519 --> 00:16:56,630
international partnerships related to 

465
00:16:56,630 --> 00:16:58,630
the region . So , just a real quick 

466
00:16:58,630 --> 00:17:00,574
recap from what Eric shared , same 

467
00:17:00,574 --> 00:17:02,574
rules of engagement are gonna be in 

468
00:17:02,574 --> 00:17:04,574
place for this portion of the press 

469
00:17:04,574 --> 00:17:04,339
conference . So I'll go ahead and call 

470
00:17:04,349 --> 00:17:06,349
on the reporters ask that you limit 

471
00:17:06,349 --> 00:17:08,460
yourself to one question , one follow 

472
00:17:08,460 --> 00:17:10,460
up . And if you're not able to , if 

473
00:17:10,460 --> 00:17:12,460
we're not able to get your question 

474
00:17:12,460 --> 00:17:12,380
today , just reach out to me afterwards 

475
00:17:12,569 --> 00:17:14,680
and I can assist you with that . Just 

476
00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:16,625
final re reminder , this is on the 

477
00:17:16,625 --> 00:17:18,680
record . So with that , ma'am , I'll 

478
00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:20,458
turn it over to you for opening 

479
00:17:20,458 --> 00:17:20,380
comments . Great . Thank you , Devin . 

480
00:17:20,390 --> 00:17:22,390
Thanks . Um Thank you all for being 

481
00:17:22,390 --> 00:17:24,557
here for today and thank you to Deputy 

482
00:17:24,557 --> 00:17:26,779
Secretary Hicks for the introduction to 

483
00:17:26,779 --> 00:17:28,723
the strategy . As Deputy Secretary 

484
00:17:28,723 --> 00:17:30,723
Hicks just noted this is a critical 

485
00:17:30,723 --> 00:17:32,501
time for the Arctic region with 

486
00:17:32,501 --> 00:17:34,668
dramatic changes occurring , increased 

487
00:17:34,668 --> 00:17:34,609
activity and access from our 

488
00:17:34,619 --> 00:17:36,786
competitors , the accession of Finland 

489
00:17:36,786 --> 00:17:38,897
and Sweden to NATO and climate change 

490
00:17:38,897 --> 00:17:40,841
continuing to warm the region some 

491
00:17:40,841 --> 00:17:43,063
three times the rate of the rest of the 

492
00:17:43,063 --> 00:17:45,230
world . This new strategy acknowledges 

493
00:17:45,230 --> 00:17:47,286
those changes and creates a road map 

494
00:17:47,286 --> 00:17:49,397
for action for the department to lead 

495
00:17:49,397 --> 00:17:51,563
in ensuring our national interests are 

496
00:17:51,563 --> 00:17:53,675
safeguarded . It's the latest example 

497
00:17:53,675 --> 00:17:55,675
of the deity taking Arctic security 

498
00:17:55,675 --> 00:17:57,119
seriously . In fact , the 

499
00:17:57,119 --> 00:17:59,341
reorganization of OS D policy to create 

500
00:17:59,341 --> 00:18:01,119
the Office of Arctic and Global 

501
00:18:01,119 --> 00:18:02,841
resilience two years ago , was 

502
00:18:02,841 --> 00:18:04,952
foundational to elevate and integrate 

503
00:18:04,952 --> 00:18:06,952
Arctic security concerns across the 

504
00:18:06,952 --> 00:18:09,119
department , especially as they relate 

505
00:18:09,119 --> 00:18:08,869
to our homeland defense priorities . 

506
00:18:09,469 --> 00:18:11,525
The Arctic plays an outsized role in 

507
00:18:11,525 --> 00:18:13,636
defense of the homeland as the region 

508
00:18:13,636 --> 00:18:15,858
comprises us , territory and Alaska and 

509
00:18:15,858 --> 00:18:18,080
the northern approach to the homeland . 

510
00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:20,191
The new strategy guides dod in taking 

511
00:18:20,191 --> 00:18:22,302
key steps to defend the homeland from 

512
00:18:22,302 --> 00:18:24,525
enhancing our ability to detect threats 

513
00:18:24,525 --> 00:18:26,247
from and through the Arctic to 

514
00:18:26,247 --> 00:18:26,180
collaborating with Canada on 

515
00:18:26,189 --> 00:18:28,339
modernizing N A capabilities to 

516
00:18:28,349 --> 00:18:31,050
exercising alongside our NATO allies to 

517
00:18:31,060 --> 00:18:33,116
hone our readiness for operations in 

518
00:18:33,116 --> 00:18:35,229
the Arctic region . The goal of 

519
00:18:35,239 --> 00:18:37,406
executing our homeland defense mission 

520
00:18:37,406 --> 00:18:39,517
underscores each of our three es that 

521
00:18:39,517 --> 00:18:41,683
Deputy Secretary Hicks mentioned first 

522
00:18:41,683 --> 00:18:43,683
enhance to defend the homeland . We 

523
00:18:43,683 --> 00:18:45,795
must improve our domain awareness and 

524
00:18:45,795 --> 00:18:47,683
enhance our ability to detect and 

525
00:18:47,683 --> 00:18:49,683
respond with our Canadian allies to 

526
00:18:49,683 --> 00:18:51,795
threats to the homeland . A key focus 

527
00:18:51,795 --> 00:18:53,406
for my office is championing 

528
00:18:53,406 --> 00:18:55,295
investments that will enhance our 

529
00:18:55,295 --> 00:18:55,199
awareness of threats in the region . We 

530
00:18:55,500 --> 00:18:57,444
want to make sure that we have the 

531
00:18:57,444 --> 00:18:59,556
right sensing ar architecture and the 

532
00:18:59,556 --> 00:19:01,778
right communications , architecture for 

533
00:19:01,778 --> 00:19:03,722
command and control . We must also 

534
00:19:03,722 --> 00:19:03,280
deepen our understanding of how climate 

535
00:19:03,290 --> 00:19:04,957
change is altering the Arctic 

536
00:19:04,957 --> 00:19:07,012
environment through improved weather 

537
00:19:07,012 --> 00:19:09,123
forecasting and sea ice prediction to 

538
00:19:09,123 --> 00:19:11,346
ensure our troops and our platforms are 

539
00:19:11,346 --> 00:19:13,568
capable of operating in conditions they 

540
00:19:13,568 --> 00:19:15,568
may encounter . Second , engage our 

541
00:19:15,568 --> 00:19:17,623
strong network of partners including 

542
00:19:17,623 --> 00:19:19,734
Arctic allies , Federal State , local 

543
00:19:19,734 --> 00:19:21,290
and tribal partners are key 

544
00:19:21,290 --> 00:19:23,457
stakeholders in securing the Arctic in 

545
00:19:23,457 --> 00:19:25,623
our homeland from the communities that 

546
00:19:25,623 --> 00:19:27,790
host our bases and troops in Alaska to 

547
00:19:27,790 --> 00:19:29,846
our colleagues in the US Coast Guard 

548
00:19:29,846 --> 00:19:32,179
and the Department of Homeland Security , 

549
00:19:32,179 --> 00:19:34,346
we all have a role to play to maintain 

550
00:19:34,346 --> 00:19:33,729
the stability of the Arctic region . 

551
00:19:34,310 --> 00:19:36,739
Third exercise , we must enhance our 

552
00:19:36,750 --> 00:19:38,972
ability to respond to deterrence fail , 

553
00:19:38,972 --> 00:19:41,083
exercising tactics and equipment is a 

554
00:19:41,083 --> 00:19:43,194
prerequisite not only for success but 

555
00:19:43,194 --> 00:19:45,083
for survival in the unique Arctic 

556
00:19:45,083 --> 00:19:47,194
environment . To this end , one of my 

557
00:19:47,194 --> 00:19:49,361
office's key implementation priorities 

558
00:19:49,361 --> 00:19:51,472
will be ensuring that the joint force 

559
00:19:51,472 --> 00:19:51,089
is equipped and prepared to operate 

560
00:19:51,099 --> 00:19:53,250
there . We think that this strategy 

561
00:19:53,260 --> 00:19:55,371
offers the blueprint to take the next 

562
00:19:55,371 --> 00:19:57,538
steps towards ensuring Arctic security 

563
00:19:57,538 --> 00:19:59,649
and protecting our national interests 

564
00:19:59,649 --> 00:20:01,871
by fielding and partnering on our needs 

565
00:20:01,871 --> 00:20:04,204
now and into the future . And with that , 

566
00:20:04,204 --> 00:20:04,060
I'm happy to take your questions . Ok . 

567
00:20:04,069 --> 00:20:06,402
We'll go ahead and start with LITA . Oh , 

568
00:20:06,410 --> 00:20:08,410
I was gonna , uh , actually , I , I 

569
00:20:08,410 --> 00:20:10,577
think there are other people who maybe 

570
00:20:10,577 --> 00:20:12,521
didn't get questions before , so I 

571
00:20:12,521 --> 00:20:14,799
don't wanna take everybody's questions . 

572
00:20:14,799 --> 00:20:14,290
So I'll , I'll pass them on to someone 

573
00:20:14,319 --> 00:20:16,319
else . All right , then let's go to 

574
00:20:16,319 --> 00:20:18,208
Tony . Of course , that satellite 

575
00:20:18,208 --> 00:20:20,500
capability uh given the harsh 

576
00:20:20,510 --> 00:20:22,621
environment there and the need for on 

577
00:20:22,621 --> 00:20:24,899
the move kind of internet capabilities . 

578
00:20:24,899 --> 00:20:27,489
What role do you see for commercial 

579
00:20:27,500 --> 00:20:29,239
satellite image uh satellite 

580
00:20:29,250 --> 00:20:31,417
communications ? I give you Starlink . 

581
00:20:31,420 --> 00:20:33,587
You know , this the Air Force research 

582
00:20:33,587 --> 00:20:35,809
lab last year did a successful round of 

583
00:20:35,809 --> 00:20:38,369
exercises with Starlink establishing on 

584
00:20:38,380 --> 00:20:40,760
the move capability is Starlink , the 

585
00:20:40,770 --> 00:20:42,992
kind of capability that you hope to buy 

586
00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:45,167
in terms of the service . And actually 

587
00:20:45,167 --> 00:20:47,278
we you will be budgeting for Starlink 

588
00:20:47,278 --> 00:20:49,849
capability or one we capability . Yeah . 

589
00:20:49,859 --> 00:20:52,359
Thank you for that question . Uh In the 

590
00:20:52,369 --> 00:20:54,369
strategy itself , we talk about the 

591
00:20:54,369 --> 00:20:56,425
needs that we need to invest in as a 

592
00:20:56,425 --> 00:20:58,202
department for enhancing domain 

593
00:20:58,202 --> 00:21:00,202
awareness to include communications 

594
00:21:00,202 --> 00:21:01,813
architecture , communication 

595
00:21:01,813 --> 00:21:03,813
architecture is so critical for the 

596
00:21:03,813 --> 00:21:05,980
Arctic region for our operators . It's 

597
00:21:05,980 --> 00:21:08,147
an area that we haven't invested in to 

598
00:21:08,147 --> 00:21:10,258
date um as much because of the uh geo 

599
00:21:10,258 --> 00:21:12,480
inclination or our , our inclination of 

600
00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:14,647
our geosynchronous orbits . We have to 

601
00:21:14,647 --> 00:21:16,813
actively invest in the Arctic region , 

602
00:21:16,813 --> 00:21:19,036
in particular . We've been working over 

603
00:21:19,036 --> 00:21:18,645
the last several years to leverage 

604
00:21:18,655 --> 00:21:21,599
these kind of commercial um assets to 

605
00:21:21,609 --> 00:21:23,609
include the testing and development 

606
00:21:23,609 --> 00:21:25,665
that you were talking about with our 

607
00:21:25,665 --> 00:21:27,720
Air Force research lab . Uh We found 

608
00:21:27,720 --> 00:21:29,942
those uh those the testing to be highly 

609
00:21:29,942 --> 00:21:33,020
successful . Uh We have uh uh starlink 

610
00:21:33,030 --> 00:21:34,974
at SpaceX and one web right now on 

611
00:21:34,974 --> 00:21:37,030
contract with our commercial sat com 

612
00:21:37,030 --> 00:21:38,808
office . So our departments and 

613
00:21:38,808 --> 00:21:40,919
agencies are able to procure services 

614
00:21:40,919 --> 00:21:43,141
right now . Uh But what we're trying to 

615
00:21:43,141 --> 00:21:44,863
do is field the hybrid sat com 

616
00:21:44,863 --> 00:21:44,849
terminals for our users so that they 

617
00:21:44,859 --> 00:21:46,915
can access multiple constellations . 

618
00:21:46,915 --> 00:21:48,970
That's the next round . You have the 

619
00:21:48,970 --> 00:21:50,915
satellite capa capabilities in the 

620
00:21:50,915 --> 00:21:50,724
commercial capacity which need the 

621
00:21:50,734 --> 00:21:52,901
users to have their terminals uh to be 

622
00:21:52,901 --> 00:21:54,790
able to access it . So that's the 

623
00:21:54,790 --> 00:21:56,901
testing that we're going through this 

624
00:21:56,901 --> 00:21:59,067
coming next summer is looking at the , 

625
00:21:59,067 --> 00:21:59,055
the the terminals that could access 

626
00:21:59,064 --> 00:22:01,286
multiple constellations at once . Can I 

627
00:22:01,286 --> 00:22:03,453
just a follow up ? Have they , they're 

628
00:22:03,453 --> 00:22:05,786
part of the commercial satellite office ? 

629
00:22:05,786 --> 00:22:07,953
I know they get task orders . Are they 

630
00:22:07,953 --> 00:22:10,175
getting task orders for specific Arctic 

631
00:22:10,175 --> 00:22:12,175
operational exercises ? Yeah , I'll 

632
00:22:12,175 --> 00:22:14,175
have to take that specific question 

633
00:22:14,175 --> 00:22:16,397
back . Uh Because I'm not familiar with 

634
00:22:16,397 --> 00:22:18,620
that level of specificity . Thank you . 

635
00:22:18,620 --> 00:22:20,731
Ok , great . Let's uh let's go to the 

636
00:22:20,731 --> 00:22:22,953
phones . We've got folks joining on the 

637
00:22:22,953 --> 00:22:22,339
phone . Let's go to Justin Katz 

638
00:22:22,349 --> 00:22:25,069
breaking defense . Uh Hi , thank you 

639
00:22:25,079 --> 00:22:27,079
for doing this . Uh I wanted to ask 

640
00:22:27,079 --> 00:22:29,660
about ice pack as the Deputy secretary 

641
00:22:29,670 --> 00:22:32,420
mentioned , uh given that the co given 

642
00:22:32,430 --> 00:22:34,597
that for the United States fleet , the 

643
00:22:34,597 --> 00:22:36,930
Coast Guard largely leads , uh you know , 

644
00:22:36,930 --> 00:22:38,930
icebreaker shipbuilding . Could you 

645
00:22:38,930 --> 00:22:41,469
speak to ? I guess the , um the 

646
00:22:41,479 --> 00:22:44,060
Pentagon's role in ice pack and as it 

647
00:22:44,069 --> 00:22:46,402
relates to uh the , the Arctic strategy . 

648
00:22:46,402 --> 00:22:48,625
Thank you . Yeah . No , thanks for that 

649
00:22:48,625 --> 00:22:50,680
really important question . Uh The , 

650
00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:52,847
the US Coast Guard plays an incredibly 

651
00:22:52,847 --> 00:22:54,680
important mission for our Arctic 

652
00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:56,791
security interests at large . Um They 

653
00:22:56,791 --> 00:22:58,902
provide really critical assets for uh 

654
00:22:58,902 --> 00:23:01,069
disaster response um and provide a lot 

655
00:23:01,069 --> 00:23:03,347
of present for us in the Arctic region . 

656
00:23:03,347 --> 00:23:05,513
And we very much support their uh goal 

657
00:23:05,513 --> 00:23:07,449
to acquire icebreaker capacity 

658
00:23:07,459 --> 00:23:09,900
including their goal to have three 

659
00:23:09,910 --> 00:23:12,630
polar security cutters . Uh We've been 

660
00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:14,910
following the , the partnership 

661
00:23:14,920 --> 00:23:17,880
announcement closely with us , Finland 

662
00:23:17,890 --> 00:23:19,946
and Canada to cooper on the , on the 

663
00:23:19,946 --> 00:23:22,530
construction and build of icebreakers . 

664
00:23:22,599 --> 00:23:24,821
And we think this is the kind of cooper 

665
00:23:24,821 --> 00:23:26,988
operation uh that we should be leaning 

666
00:23:26,988 --> 00:23:28,988
into more . Uh We really need to be 

667
00:23:28,988 --> 00:23:31,043
leaning into our allies and partners 

668
00:23:31,043 --> 00:23:33,210
effectively . They have high levels of 

669
00:23:33,210 --> 00:23:32,560
proficiency and high levels of 

670
00:23:32,569 --> 00:23:35,099
capability um as Arctic nations and , 

671
00:23:35,109 --> 00:23:36,790
and we can only do better by 

672
00:23:36,800 --> 00:23:39,022
collectively working with one another . 

673
00:23:39,569 --> 00:23:41,569
Ok , great . Let's come back in the 

674
00:23:41,569 --> 00:23:43,680
room . We'll go address , just follow 

675
00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:45,736
up from what you asked earlier . How 

676
00:23:45,736 --> 00:23:47,569
would you define China's sort of 

677
00:23:47,569 --> 00:23:47,280
progress ? In the Arctic , is it a 

678
00:23:47,290 --> 00:23:49,390
consistent trajectory ? Is it rapid 

679
00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:52,939
progress ? Um And in terms of long term 

680
00:23:52,949 --> 00:23:54,893
competitor in the Arctic , is that 

681
00:23:54,893 --> 00:23:57,116
still Russia or would you now see China 

682
00:23:57,116 --> 00:23:59,171
rising above them in the long term ? 

683
00:23:59,171 --> 00:24:01,227
Yeah , I , I think for , for China , 

684
00:24:01,227 --> 00:24:03,005
you know , we see them having a 

685
00:24:03,005 --> 00:24:05,116
strategic interest in the Arctic . We 

686
00:24:05,116 --> 00:24:07,227
see that being something that they've 

687
00:24:07,227 --> 00:24:09,680
said over the last decade , um they um 

688
00:24:09,689 --> 00:24:11,800
in their strategic documents continue 

689
00:24:11,800 --> 00:24:13,800
to have the Arctic as an area where 

690
00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:16,078
they , they want to explore where they , 

691
00:24:16,078 --> 00:24:17,800
we see , see them as trying to 

692
00:24:17,800 --> 00:24:20,022
internationalize the Arctic region . Uh 

693
00:24:20,022 --> 00:24:21,967
to kind of turn it into a bit of a 

694
00:24:21,967 --> 00:24:21,942
global common so that they can access 

695
00:24:21,953 --> 00:24:24,012
and governance there . The Arctic is 

696
00:24:24,022 --> 00:24:26,189
primarily governed by the jurisdiction 

697
00:24:26,189 --> 00:24:28,244
of sovereign states . Uh But I think 

698
00:24:28,244 --> 00:24:30,411
China has interest in trying to , to , 

699
00:24:30,411 --> 00:24:32,633
to influence it meaningfully . We , you 

700
00:24:32,633 --> 00:24:34,855
know , they have three icebreakers . We 

701
00:24:34,855 --> 00:24:36,966
know that um they are often operating 

702
00:24:36,966 --> 00:24:39,244
under the guise of scientific research , 

703
00:24:39,244 --> 00:24:38,812
but that much of that research is going 

704
00:24:38,822 --> 00:24:41,312
towards military use . Uh We see them 

705
00:24:41,322 --> 00:24:43,603
operating uh more regularly in the last 

706
00:24:43,613 --> 00:24:45,946
several years from a middle perspective . 

707
00:24:45,946 --> 00:24:48,002
Uh Even just a couple of weeks ago , 

708
00:24:48,002 --> 00:24:50,224
there were several Chinese warships off 

709
00:24:50,224 --> 00:24:52,446
of the coast of Alaska . For us . We've 

710
00:24:52,446 --> 00:24:54,502
seen them operating closely with the 

711
00:24:54,502 --> 00:24:56,391
Russians on occasion with um with 

712
00:24:56,391 --> 00:24:58,686
combined exercises off the coast of 

713
00:24:58,696 --> 00:25:00,985
Alaska . Uh We're keeping a watchful 

714
00:25:00,995 --> 00:25:04,465
eye on their um on how they're 

715
00:25:04,475 --> 00:25:06,776
developing their capacity for operating 

716
00:25:06,786 --> 00:25:09,064
in the region . And I think , you know , 

717
00:25:09,064 --> 00:25:11,342
as we say in the department , you know , 

718
00:25:11,342 --> 00:25:13,675
they are our long term pacing challenge . 

719
00:25:13,675 --> 00:25:15,730
Um and I think that that includes in 

720
00:25:15,730 --> 00:25:17,730
the Arctic . Ok , thanks . Let's go 

721
00:25:17,730 --> 00:25:19,953
back to the phones . We'll go to Hayley 

722
00:25:19,953 --> 00:25:21,897
Brisky at CNN . Hi . Thank you for 

723
00:25:21,897 --> 00:25:24,008
doing this . Um I , I'm sorry if this 

724
00:25:24,008 --> 00:25:26,230
has already been touched on , I've been 

725
00:25:26,230 --> 00:25:25,859
breaking it out a little bit , but I , 

726
00:25:25,869 --> 00:25:28,229
I just want to clarify um because I 

727
00:25:28,239 --> 00:25:30,295
know there's , there have been a few 

728
00:25:30,295 --> 00:25:32,239
years , of course , of , of Arctic 

729
00:25:32,239 --> 00:25:34,295
strategies . So what specifically in 

730
00:25:34,295 --> 00:25:36,350
this Arctic strategy is a little bit 

731
00:25:36,350 --> 00:25:35,530
different than last year ? Is there any , 

732
00:25:35,540 --> 00:25:37,707
are there any major changes or I guess 

733
00:25:37,707 --> 00:25:39,873
redirection on , on going forward what 

734
00:25:39,873 --> 00:25:42,040
this is gonna look like ? I think it's 

735
00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:44,207
a , it's a really important question . 

736
00:25:44,207 --> 00:25:46,429
The , the difference is there's several 

737
00:25:46,429 --> 00:25:48,484
differences . Uh The first is how we 

738
00:25:48,484 --> 00:25:50,651
articulate the strategic environment . 

739
00:25:50,651 --> 00:25:52,484
Uh We uh we , we call out uh the 

740
00:25:52,484 --> 00:25:54,373
Chinese involvement in the Arctic 

741
00:25:54,373 --> 00:25:56,540
region . Um As an area of concern , we 

742
00:25:56,540 --> 00:25:59,150
talk about uh Russia's acute threat to 

743
00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:01,104
us in our homeland . Uh Within the 

744
00:26:01,104 --> 00:26:03,327
strategy , we talk about uh the PR C in 

745
00:26:03,327 --> 00:26:05,549
Russia collaborating for the first time 

746
00:26:05,549 --> 00:26:07,716
in this document . Uh uh The accession 

747
00:26:07,716 --> 00:26:09,827
of Finland and Sweden to NATO is also 

748
00:26:09,827 --> 00:26:11,993
new uh since 2019 , which was the last 

749
00:26:11,993 --> 00:26:14,104
time a strategy was released . And we 

750
00:26:14,104 --> 00:26:16,271
talk about the undercurrent of climate 

751
00:26:16,271 --> 00:26:18,327
change which is impacting all of our 

752
00:26:18,327 --> 00:26:20,271
activity . Um and all of the human 

753
00:26:20,271 --> 00:26:20,079
activity that's being allowed to , to 

754
00:26:20,089 --> 00:26:22,145
take place in the region . The other 

755
00:26:22,145 --> 00:26:24,033
thing that's different about this 

756
00:26:24,033 --> 00:26:26,089
strategy is that we really dive into 

757
00:26:26,089 --> 00:26:28,256
the ways and means effectively . Uh We 

758
00:26:28,256 --> 00:26:27,760
really are trying to get after the 

759
00:26:27,770 --> 00:26:30,140
investments that we need to um to , to 

760
00:26:30,150 --> 00:26:32,094
be able to effectively monitor and 

761
00:26:32,094 --> 00:26:34,039
respond Uh where we try to be very 

762
00:26:34,039 --> 00:26:36,206
specific in the domain awareness needs 

763
00:26:36,206 --> 00:26:37,983
that we have the communications 

764
00:26:37,983 --> 00:26:40,094
architecture , the ISR architecture , 

765
00:26:40,094 --> 00:26:42,261
the weather forecasting to try to help 

766
00:26:42,261 --> 00:26:44,428
lend some prioritization to resourcing 

767
00:26:44,428 --> 00:26:46,539
in the region to provide the enabling 

768
00:26:46,539 --> 00:26:46,369
capabilities for our joint force to 

769
00:26:46,380 --> 00:26:48,910
effectively operate . Uh And the other 

770
00:26:48,920 --> 00:26:51,031
big thing and this is not necessarily 

771
00:26:51,031 --> 00:26:53,253
in the strategy is just the creation of 

772
00:26:53,253 --> 00:26:55,420
my office . Um It can't be understated 

773
00:26:55,420 --> 00:26:57,476
how big of a role that is playing in 

774
00:26:57,476 --> 00:26:57,099
the in the department in terms of 

775
00:26:57,109 --> 00:26:59,276
integrating across the Arctic region . 

776
00:26:59,515 --> 00:27:01,571
Uh This office was created two years 

777
00:27:01,571 --> 00:27:03,594
ago um to , to integrate across the 

778
00:27:03,604 --> 00:27:05,493
department is is no small feat in 

779
00:27:05,493 --> 00:27:07,604
general , but certainly in the Arctic 

780
00:27:07,604 --> 00:27:09,715
region where you have three different 

781
00:27:09,715 --> 00:27:11,993
geographic commands commands north com , 

782
00:27:11,993 --> 00:27:14,104
ucom , and Indo Paycom in addition to 

783
00:27:14,104 --> 00:27:16,271
various services that all have defined 

784
00:27:16,271 --> 00:27:18,437
equities as well . So III I think just 

785
00:27:18,437 --> 00:27:20,493
having an an office that can help uh 

786
00:27:20,493 --> 00:27:22,715
not only draft a strategy but help with 

787
00:27:22,715 --> 00:27:24,326
the implementation of it and 

788
00:27:24,326 --> 00:27:24,295
integrating the priorities going 

789
00:27:24,305 --> 00:27:26,138
forward is is the most important 

790
00:27:26,138 --> 00:27:28,305
differences . Ok , great . Coming back 

791
00:27:28,305 --> 00:27:30,510
in the room will go brandy so much and 

792
00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:32,640
thanks for doing this . Um It briefly 

793
00:27:32,650 --> 00:27:34,706
mentions that the under Secretary of 

794
00:27:34,706 --> 00:27:36,872
Defense for policy is going to develop 

795
00:27:36,872 --> 00:27:38,983
a department wide policy for building 

796
00:27:38,983 --> 00:27:40,983
enduring advantages in the Arctic . 

797
00:27:40,983 --> 00:27:42,928
What would that include um for the 

798
00:27:42,928 --> 00:27:45,094
department that it does not have now ? 

799
00:27:45,219 --> 00:27:48,329
I think that that phrase is actually 

800
00:27:48,339 --> 00:27:50,172
just meant to say that the under 

801
00:27:50,172 --> 00:27:52,395
secretary of Policy will be responsible 

802
00:27:52,395 --> 00:27:54,395
for implementing the strategy going 

803
00:27:54,395 --> 00:27:58,160
forward . Um Will there be 

804
00:27:58,170 --> 00:28:00,439
anything else you can share on an 

805
00:28:00,449 --> 00:28:03,640
implementation plan or um materials or 

806
00:28:03,650 --> 00:28:06,189
guidance to expand dod S Arctic 

807
00:28:06,199 --> 00:28:08,477
presence like with drones or otherwise ? 

808
00:28:08,770 --> 00:28:10,992
Well , I think that's what the strategy 

809
00:28:10,992 --> 00:28:13,159
is all about . It's about creating the 

810
00:28:13,159 --> 00:28:15,270
road map for the capabilities that we 

811
00:28:15,270 --> 00:28:17,326
need to protect our interests and to 

812
00:28:17,326 --> 00:28:19,437
ensure that our troops have what they 

813
00:28:19,437 --> 00:28:21,548
need to operate in the region just to 

814
00:28:21,548 --> 00:28:23,603
maybe flesh out a little bit more of 

815
00:28:23,603 --> 00:28:25,714
the investments that we've made um in 

816
00:28:25,714 --> 00:28:25,660
the last several years that I think 

817
00:28:25,670 --> 00:28:27,614
could that are that we're going to 

818
00:28:27,614 --> 00:28:29,410
continue to , to invest in um 

819
00:28:29,430 --> 00:28:31,486
throughout the implementation of the 

820
00:28:31,486 --> 00:28:33,708
strategy ? You know , we've been really 

821
00:28:33,708 --> 00:28:33,599
been investing in our people . We 

822
00:28:33,609 --> 00:28:35,498
recognize that it's an incredibly 

823
00:28:35,498 --> 00:28:37,540
challenging place to live um and to 

824
00:28:37,550 --> 00:28:39,606
serve in uh many of the locations in 

825
00:28:39,606 --> 00:28:41,661
the Arctic are remote in austere and 

826
00:28:41,661 --> 00:28:43,828
we've been focusing heavily on quality 

827
00:28:43,828 --> 00:28:45,994
of life improvements for many of our , 

828
00:28:45,994 --> 00:28:45,939
our troops that are stationed there . 

829
00:28:46,079 --> 00:28:48,079
And as of this summer , all service 

830
00:28:48,079 --> 00:28:50,135
members that are stationed in Alaska 

831
00:28:50,135 --> 00:28:52,023
will actually have access to cold 

832
00:28:52,023 --> 00:28:53,912
weather incentive pay uh for when 

833
00:28:53,912 --> 00:28:53,609
they're , when they're there , they're 

834
00:28:53,619 --> 00:28:56,099
able to buy cold weather gear uh for , 

835
00:28:56,109 --> 00:28:58,109
for living up there . Uh We spoke a 

836
00:28:58,109 --> 00:29:00,165
little bit about infrastructure . Uh 

837
00:29:00,165 --> 00:29:02,331
The Deputy secretary mentioned some of 

838
00:29:02,331 --> 00:29:04,053
the investments in our sensing 

839
00:29:04,053 --> 00:29:05,942
architecture um including in , in 

840
00:29:05,942 --> 00:29:07,887
Archer and in , in , in NORAD . Uh 

841
00:29:07,887 --> 00:29:09,831
We're also looking at what kind of 

842
00:29:09,831 --> 00:29:11,998
infrastructure um repair we might need 

843
00:29:11,998 --> 00:29:14,220
to do due to the changing uh due to the 

844
00:29:14,220 --> 00:29:16,387
the changing climate , in particular , 

845
00:29:16,387 --> 00:29:18,498
at PIC uh Space Force Base , they are 

846
00:29:18,498 --> 00:29:20,553
heavily impacted by permafrost law . 

847
00:29:20,553 --> 00:29:22,776
And so we have some 7 million dedicated 

848
00:29:22,776 --> 00:29:24,887
to look at how we're able to mitigate 

849
00:29:24,887 --> 00:29:27,165
that including potential hanger repair . 

850
00:29:27,165 --> 00:29:29,387
Uh And we're working on uh uh equipment 

851
00:29:29,387 --> 00:29:31,331
for our uh forces as well . Uh The 

852
00:29:31,331 --> 00:29:33,442
Deputy Secretary mentioned the Arctic 

853
00:29:33,442 --> 00:29:35,553
Angels that uh were recently stood up 

854
00:29:35,553 --> 00:29:37,579
in , in Alaska . They've gotten the 

855
00:29:37,589 --> 00:29:39,700
state of the art cold weather gear in 

856
00:29:39,700 --> 00:29:41,867
the last several of years . We've also 

857
00:29:41,867 --> 00:29:43,756
uh spent some 280 million on cold 

858
00:29:43,756 --> 00:29:46,530
weather all terrain vehicles uh in , in 

859
00:29:46,540 --> 00:29:48,762
addition to that uh cold weather gear , 

860
00:29:48,762 --> 00:29:50,873
and then we've been really looking at 

861
00:29:50,873 --> 00:29:52,929
space architecture as well and we've 

862
00:29:52,929 --> 00:29:52,750
talked a little bit about , you know , 

863
00:29:52,760 --> 00:29:54,482
leveraging commercial space um 

864
00:29:54,482 --> 00:29:56,593
technology but we all the space force 

865
00:29:56,593 --> 00:29:59,500
has also invested some $1.8 billion in 

866
00:29:59,510 --> 00:30:01,069
the enhanced polar system 

867
00:30:01,079 --> 00:30:03,489
recapitalization payload , which is uh 

868
00:30:03,500 --> 00:30:05,500
a payload that is actually uniquely 

869
00:30:05,500 --> 00:30:07,611
hosted on a space Norway satellite is 

870
00:30:07,611 --> 00:30:09,611
actually meant to , it was meant to 

871
00:30:09,611 --> 00:30:09,430
launch several weeks ago , but it will 

872
00:30:09,439 --> 00:30:11,606
hopefully launch in the next couple of 

873
00:30:11,606 --> 00:30:13,717
weeks . Um That's the first time that 

874
00:30:13,717 --> 00:30:15,717
we will have a payload on an allied 

875
00:30:15,717 --> 00:30:17,939
partner satellite . It's helped us save 

876
00:30:17,939 --> 00:30:17,560
fun money . It helped us save about 

877
00:30:17,569 --> 00:30:21,199
$900 million and also uh uh create a 

878
00:30:21,209 --> 00:30:23,431
more rapid acquisition process for us . 

879
00:30:23,431 --> 00:30:25,431
And it will we'll be providing arch 

880
00:30:25,431 --> 00:30:27,542
communications to our strategic users 

881
00:30:27,542 --> 00:30:29,487
for the first time . So it's these 

882
00:30:29,487 --> 00:30:29,189
kinds of unique partnerships that we're 

883
00:30:29,199 --> 00:30:31,199
looking to really leverage um going 

884
00:30:31,199 --> 00:30:33,421
forward that you will see more of as we 

885
00:30:33,421 --> 00:30:35,459
go through implementation . I 

886
00:30:35,790 --> 00:30:38,012
understand as immediate next steps . Is 

887
00:30:38,012 --> 00:30:40,234
there an implementation plan ? Is there 

888
00:30:40,234 --> 00:30:42,457
anything we can expect to see ? Um from 

889
00:30:42,457 --> 00:30:44,679
you guys coming from this strategy , it 

890
00:30:44,679 --> 00:30:46,290
mentions a lot of continuing 

891
00:30:46,290 --> 00:30:48,068
assessments evaluating existing 

892
00:30:48,068 --> 00:30:49,846
capabilities . So what are some 

893
00:30:49,846 --> 00:30:51,957
concrete next steps that are coming ? 

894
00:30:51,957 --> 00:30:54,890
Yes . So one other important point of 

895
00:30:54,900 --> 00:30:57,069
um of continuity within our federal 

896
00:30:57,079 --> 00:30:59,760
government approach to uh this problem 

897
00:30:59,770 --> 00:31:01,714
set is that we recently released a 

898
00:31:01,714 --> 00:31:03,937
national strategy for the Arctic region 

899
00:31:03,937 --> 00:31:06,270
um that also has an implementation plan . 

900
00:31:06,270 --> 00:31:08,492
A a associated there's a whole security 

901
00:31:08,492 --> 00:31:10,103
pillar to that , that we are 

902
00:31:10,103 --> 00:31:12,103
responsible for implementing and so 

903
00:31:12,103 --> 00:31:11,869
many of the objectives that we're 

904
00:31:11,880 --> 00:31:14,719
looking to uh to move forward on are 

905
00:31:14,729 --> 00:31:16,507
also reflected in that national 

906
00:31:16,507 --> 00:31:18,229
strategy for the Arctic region 

907
00:31:18,229 --> 00:31:20,451
implementation plan , which is public . 

908
00:31:20,451 --> 00:31:22,618
So I would encourage you to go look at 

909
00:31:22,618 --> 00:31:24,840
that . Um In addition to um any kind of 

910
00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:26,951
uh publications that we might put out 

911
00:31:26,951 --> 00:31:29,173
following the release of the strategy , 

912
00:31:29,173 --> 00:31:29,145
I think , you know , we will have an 

913
00:31:29,155 --> 00:31:31,266
implementation plan . It's unclear if 

914
00:31:31,266 --> 00:31:33,377
it will be public or not . OK . Thank 

915
00:31:33,377 --> 00:31:35,599
you . Let's uh let's go to Chris Gordon 

916
00:31:35,599 --> 00:31:37,739
in the room . Thank you . Um Nora has 

917
00:31:37,750 --> 00:31:39,750
mentioned a lot in the strategy and 

918
00:31:39,750 --> 00:31:41,869
here um for obvious reasons . Um How 

919
00:31:41,880 --> 00:31:44,119
much is this strategy uh dependent on 

920
00:31:44,130 --> 00:31:46,352
Canadian investment such as an aircraft 

921
00:31:46,352 --> 00:31:48,186
which has sometimes been lacking 

922
00:31:48,186 --> 00:31:51,280
evidently on their side . Um And for 

923
00:31:51,290 --> 00:31:53,401
example , the strategy mentioned some 

924
00:31:53,401 --> 00:31:55,568
250 allied aircraft that are coming by 

925
00:31:55,568 --> 00:31:57,734
the 20 th uh that could operate in the 

926
00:31:57,734 --> 00:32:00,000
air , take . How confident are you that 

927
00:32:00,260 --> 00:32:02,538
allies are going to come through there ? 

928
00:32:02,709 --> 00:32:04,709
Yeah . Uh our Canadian partners are 

929
00:32:04,709 --> 00:32:07,119
integral as are our all of our Arctic 

930
00:32:07,130 --> 00:32:09,408
allies to the success of this strategy . 

931
00:32:09,408 --> 00:32:12,089
Our Arctic allies and partners are so 

932
00:32:12,099 --> 00:32:14,155
unique in that they have such a high 

933
00:32:14,155 --> 00:32:15,932
concentration of capability and 

934
00:32:15,932 --> 00:32:18,410
geopolitical um alignment with us . I I 

935
00:32:18,420 --> 00:32:20,476
would argue that there's probably no 

936
00:32:20,476 --> 00:32:22,531
greater concentration of like minded 

937
00:32:22,531 --> 00:32:24,642
partners anywhere else in the world . 

938
00:32:24,642 --> 00:32:26,809
Um in addition to their high levels of 

939
00:32:26,809 --> 00:32:29,142
capability , so we lean heavily on them . 

940
00:32:29,142 --> 00:32:29,119
Uh Canada is an incredibly important 

941
00:32:29,130 --> 00:32:31,369
partner . Uh not only for the defense 

942
00:32:31,380 --> 00:32:33,920
of NORAD but for also other developing 

943
00:32:33,930 --> 00:32:36,420
um capabilities uh for defense of North 

944
00:32:36,430 --> 00:32:39,199
America . Uh We partner with them often 

945
00:32:39,209 --> 00:32:41,560
in exercises including in recent Arctic 

946
00:32:41,569 --> 00:32:43,402
edge and of course in North Coms 

947
00:32:43,402 --> 00:32:46,109
exercises . Uh I am tracking their , 

948
00:32:46,119 --> 00:32:48,341
you know , recent their announcement to 

949
00:32:48,341 --> 00:32:50,397
buy F-35s there included that in and 

950
00:32:50,397 --> 00:32:52,341
that , that figure of 250 advanced 

951
00:32:52,341 --> 00:32:54,750
generation aircraft . Um That's another 

952
00:32:54,760 --> 00:32:56,871
incredible statistic just to show the 

953
00:32:56,871 --> 00:32:58,760
alignment of our , our allies and 

954
00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:00,649
partners that the majority of our 

955
00:33:00,649 --> 00:33:02,482
Arctic allies will have F-35s to 

956
00:33:02,482 --> 00:33:04,649
include Canada . Uh You know , we , we 

957
00:33:04,649 --> 00:33:06,816
take their , their word um in terms of 

958
00:33:06,816 --> 00:33:08,704
their investment and we , we look 

959
00:33:08,704 --> 00:33:08,630
forward to partnering with them going 

960
00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:10,584
forward . Let's go back out to the 

961
00:33:10,584 --> 00:33:12,640
phones , we'll go to Brad Dress from 

962
00:33:12,640 --> 00:33:14,900
the hill . Hi . Yeah , thanks for doing 

963
00:33:14,910 --> 00:33:17,077
this . So , in the strategy , you talk 

964
00:33:17,077 --> 00:33:19,410
about investing in drones and aircraft 

965
00:33:19,420 --> 00:33:21,550
uh for the Arctic . Are you referring 

966
00:33:21,560 --> 00:33:23,616
to like new types of technology that 

967
00:33:23,616 --> 00:33:25,560
have yet to be created that you're 

968
00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:27,671
gonna develop or you're talking about 

969
00:33:27,671 --> 00:33:29,727
like improving what you have now for 

970
00:33:29,727 --> 00:33:31,849
art a missions ? Thank you . Yeah , I 

971
00:33:31,859 --> 00:33:34,026
think , I think it's a , it's a really 

972
00:33:34,026 --> 00:33:35,915
important question and the deputy 

973
00:33:35,915 --> 00:33:37,859
secretary hit a little bit on this 

974
00:33:37,859 --> 00:33:40,026
question in terms of unmanned aircraft 

975
00:33:40,026 --> 00:33:42,248
and it's really tricky place to operate 

976
00:33:42,248 --> 00:33:44,470
um on and ground with ground operations 

977
00:33:44,470 --> 00:33:46,692
and with manned platforms . So where we 

978
00:33:46,692 --> 00:33:48,915
can lean and to uh remote platforms , 

979
00:33:48,925 --> 00:33:51,258
um it can make a lot of sense . However , 

980
00:33:51,258 --> 00:33:53,314
it's really tricky to operate remote 

981
00:33:53,314 --> 00:33:55,314
platforms due to weather and due to 

982
00:33:55,314 --> 00:33:57,314
connectivity issues . And so that's 

983
00:33:57,314 --> 00:33:59,425
where we're trying to lean is looking 

984
00:33:59,425 --> 00:34:01,647
at how we can test um and , and do some 

985
00:34:01,647 --> 00:34:03,869
R and D around ensuring these platforms 

986
00:34:03,869 --> 00:34:06,092
can , can operate . I think we're , you 

987
00:34:06,092 --> 00:34:08,258
know , looking to work with our allies 

988
00:34:08,258 --> 00:34:10,314
and partners to determine the art of 

989
00:34:10,314 --> 00:34:12,536
the possible in terms of what platforms 

990
00:34:12,536 --> 00:34:12,395
is it existing or is it , is it new ? 

991
00:34:12,750 --> 00:34:14,969
Um Just to , you know , briefly fill 

992
00:34:14,979 --> 00:34:16,757
out as well on the , on the A I 

993
00:34:16,757 --> 00:34:18,757
question , I think that that's also 

994
00:34:18,757 --> 00:34:20,923
really important . It's uh trying to , 

995
00:34:20,923 --> 00:34:23,146
trying to look at how we can use our uh 

996
00:34:23,146 --> 00:34:25,312
machine learning to better interpret a 

997
00:34:25,312 --> 00:34:27,423
really complicated landscape where um 

998
00:34:27,423 --> 00:34:29,590
we don't necessarily have as much data 

999
00:34:29,590 --> 00:34:31,610
as we wish . Uh One of a couple of 

1000
00:34:31,620 --> 00:34:33,509
examples where we've done that to 

1001
00:34:33,509 --> 00:34:35,509
effect recently is looking at coast 

1002
00:34:35,509 --> 00:34:38,669
guard uh imagery . Um and some t some 

1003
00:34:38,679 --> 00:34:40,590
12,000 images to detect maritime 

1004
00:34:40,600 --> 00:34:42,489
targets with our coast guard . Uh 

1005
00:34:42,489 --> 00:34:44,711
partners , we've also worked at looking 

1006
00:34:44,711 --> 00:34:46,933
at uh acoustic energies uh to employ on 

1007
00:34:46,933 --> 00:34:48,822
our submarines and on our P eight 

1008
00:34:48,822 --> 00:34:50,933
aircraft . So we know we're committed 

1009
00:34:50,933 --> 00:34:52,656
to trying to leverage the best 

1010
00:34:52,656 --> 00:34:54,989
technology um available uh and are also 

1011
00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:57,222
of course , trying to do so in a manner 

1012
00:34:57,222 --> 00:34:59,278
that's both responsible and lawful . 

1013
00:34:59,409 --> 00:35:02,409
Yes , sir . In the back . Um real quick , 

1014
00:35:02,419 --> 00:35:04,641
if a future presidential administration 

1015
00:35:04,641 --> 00:35:06,969
were to close the National Oceanic and 

1016
00:35:06,979 --> 00:35:09,146
Atmospheric administration , how would 

1017
00:35:09,146 --> 00:35:11,600
that affect uh dod s ability to operate 

1018
00:35:11,610 --> 00:35:14,540
in the Arctic and this strategy ? Yeah , 

1019
00:35:14,550 --> 00:35:16,606
I'd , I'd have to defer , you know , 

1020
00:35:16,606 --> 00:35:19,330
questions on agencies to that agency 

1021
00:35:19,340 --> 00:35:21,451
itself . Uh We do lean on NOAA pretty 

1022
00:35:21,451 --> 00:35:23,340
heavily right now with our Arctic 

1023
00:35:23,340 --> 00:35:25,284
weather forecasting . We work very 

1024
00:35:25,284 --> 00:35:27,229
closely with our Air Force weather 

1025
00:35:27,229 --> 00:35:27,110
community , but also our , our , our 

1026
00:35:27,120 --> 00:35:29,389
naval weather community works closely 

1027
00:35:29,399 --> 00:35:32,179
with NOAA to detect weather forecasting . 

1028
00:35:32,189 --> 00:35:34,260
Um And for ice forecasting , the uh 

1029
00:35:34,270 --> 00:35:36,459
program that Deputy Secretary Hicks 

1030
00:35:36,469 --> 00:35:38,691
mentioned um that the Navy is investing 

1031
00:35:38,691 --> 00:35:40,691
in to look at different ice pack uh 

1032
00:35:40,691 --> 00:35:43,025
concentrations especially at night time , 

1033
00:35:43,025 --> 00:35:45,247
which has actually been a challenge for 

1034
00:35:45,247 --> 00:35:47,413
our , for our forecasters . Um That is 

1035
00:35:47,413 --> 00:35:49,580
a no , a program that we're partnering 

1036
00:35:49,580 --> 00:35:49,415
with them on , but I would have to 

1037
00:35:49,425 --> 00:35:51,814
defer to NOA on that . There's a lot of 

1038
00:35:51,824 --> 00:35:54,074
dependency on no a for the continuation 

1039
00:35:54,084 --> 00:35:56,251
of current program . I think it's fair 

1040
00:35:56,251 --> 00:35:58,084
to say that our whole , that our 

1041
00:35:58,084 --> 00:36:00,140
approach to the Arctic is a whole of 

1042
00:36:00,140 --> 00:35:59,225
government effort . And there's a lot 

1043
00:35:59,235 --> 00:36:01,405
of dependency across the board on , on 

1044
00:36:01,415 --> 00:36:03,582
various agencies to make sure we do it 

1045
00:36:03,582 --> 00:36:05,784
right . Let's go back to the phones , 

1046
00:36:05,794 --> 00:36:08,094
uh Patty Nyberg from task and purpose . 

1047
00:36:09,129 --> 00:36:11,351
Hi , thanks for taking my question . Um 

1048
00:36:11,351 --> 00:36:13,296
I'm wondering if you can give us a 

1049
00:36:13,296 --> 00:36:15,407
little bit more details on the nature 

1050
00:36:15,407 --> 00:36:15,189
of military operations you're seeing 

1051
00:36:15,199 --> 00:36:17,199
between Russia and China , like are 

1052
00:36:17,199 --> 00:36:19,310
kind of , are they both supplying the 

1053
00:36:19,310 --> 00:36:21,199
same amount of troops ? Is it one 

1054
00:36:21,199 --> 00:36:23,366
country supplying more technology over 

1055
00:36:23,366 --> 00:36:22,949
the other , if you can kind of give us 

1056
00:36:22,959 --> 00:36:26,270
more details ? Yeah , I , well , I'm 

1057
00:36:26,280 --> 00:36:28,169
assuming you're talking about how 

1058
00:36:28,169 --> 00:36:30,113
they're , they're working with one 

1059
00:36:30,113 --> 00:36:32,224
another in the region . I think we've 

1060
00:36:32,224 --> 00:36:34,224
seen an uptick , an uptick in their 

1061
00:36:34,224 --> 00:36:36,391
cooper operation over the last several 

1062
00:36:36,391 --> 00:36:38,613
of years , we see China um investing in 

1063
00:36:38,613 --> 00:36:41,739
a lot of Russian energy um in order to 

1064
00:36:41,750 --> 00:36:43,972
uh not only have them supply the energy 

1065
00:36:43,972 --> 00:36:46,194
to the PR C but also that is helping um 

1066
00:36:46,194 --> 00:36:48,417
embolden some of Russia's activity in , 

1067
00:36:48,417 --> 00:36:50,760
in Ukraine . Uh We see them uh 

1068
00:36:50,770 --> 00:36:53,580
exercising diplomatic agreements 

1069
00:36:53,590 --> 00:36:56,570
including between the Chinese and uh 

1070
00:36:56,580 --> 00:36:59,699
and Russian Coast Guard um uh within 

1071
00:36:59,709 --> 00:37:01,820
the , the Arctic region . We also see 

1072
00:37:01,820 --> 00:37:04,489
military uh exercises for the first 

1073
00:37:04,500 --> 00:37:06,770
time I mentioned a combined exercise 

1074
00:37:06,780 --> 00:37:08,891
that we saw off the coast of Alaska . 

1075
00:37:08,891 --> 00:37:12,260
Uh just um last year uh where we sent 

1076
00:37:12,270 --> 00:37:14,870
several destroyers to , to counter um 

1077
00:37:14,879 --> 00:37:17,212
their , their presence off of our coast . 

1078
00:37:17,212 --> 00:37:19,379
Um And I , but I , I also , you know , 

1079
00:37:19,379 --> 00:37:20,990
while we see this increasing 

1080
00:37:20,990 --> 00:37:22,879
collaboration , I think it's also 

1081
00:37:22,879 --> 00:37:24,989
important to note that it's somewhat 

1082
00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:26,833
superficial in nature still , um 

1083
00:37:26,833 --> 00:37:29,111
especially from a military perspective . 

1084
00:37:29,111 --> 00:37:31,000
I mean , we know what it takes to 

1085
00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:32,944
operate with our Arctic allies and 

1086
00:37:32,944 --> 00:37:35,000
partners in the months and the years 

1087
00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:37,222
that it takes to build interoperability 

1088
00:37:37,222 --> 00:37:39,278
to build trust , to build , know how 

1089
00:37:39,278 --> 00:37:41,333
for operating in the Arctic region . 

1090
00:37:41,333 --> 00:37:43,444
And so , you know , flying in circles 

1091
00:37:43,444 --> 00:37:45,333
with one another briefly or uh or 

1092
00:37:45,333 --> 00:37:47,500
deploying um alongside one another one 

1093
00:37:47,500 --> 00:37:49,919
another is um is maybe good for optics , 

1094
00:37:49,929 --> 00:37:51,985
but we know that that's not the same 

1095
00:37:51,985 --> 00:37:53,818
kind of level of in depth cooper 

1096
00:37:53,818 --> 00:37:53,689
operation that we have with our 

1097
00:37:53,699 --> 00:37:55,755
partners . Thank you , ma'am . We'll 

1098
00:37:55,755 --> 00:37:57,810
take one final question with Louis , 

1099
00:37:58,300 --> 00:38:01,260
ma'am . Thank you . Um The first Arctic 

1100
00:38:01,270 --> 00:38:04,530
strategy was issued , I think 2013 , a 

1101
00:38:04,540 --> 00:38:06,830
decade later . Um Can you get us 

1102
00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:08,784
through the evolution of how these 

1103
00:38:08,784 --> 00:38:10,673
strategies have changed from that 

1104
00:38:10,673 --> 00:38:12,618
initial look , uh which is looking 

1105
00:38:12,618 --> 00:38:14,784
multilateral , you know , multilateral 

1106
00:38:14,784 --> 00:38:16,840
action about detecting uh changes up 

1107
00:38:16,840 --> 00:38:18,896
there and to where we are today with 

1108
00:38:18,896 --> 00:38:20,840
this new strategy . Yeah , I think 

1109
00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:22,840
there's been a slow evolution , not 

1110
00:38:22,840 --> 00:38:24,951
only in what the strategies say , but 

1111
00:38:24,951 --> 00:38:26,951
how the department is approaching , 

1112
00:38:26,951 --> 00:38:29,173
implementing them . Uh You know , the , 

1113
00:38:29,173 --> 00:38:31,062
the first strategies were kind of 

1114
00:38:31,062 --> 00:38:33,118
acknowledging the challenges of , of 

1115
00:38:33,118 --> 00:38:35,173
getting after an environment that we 

1116
00:38:35,173 --> 00:38:37,396
had sort of othered for quite some time 

1117
00:38:37,396 --> 00:38:37,270
and we were really heavily focused on 

1118
00:38:37,280 --> 00:38:39,409
the Middle East for a long time . Um 

1119
00:38:39,419 --> 00:38:41,530
You know , in the Cold War , we had a 

1120
00:38:41,530 --> 00:38:43,697
lot of emphasis on the Arctic . That's 

1121
00:38:43,697 --> 00:38:43,439
where a lot of our infrastructure today 

1122
00:38:43,449 --> 00:38:45,671
is actually from the Cold War era , had 

1123
00:38:45,671 --> 00:38:48,489
a lot of R and D and how to navigate um 

1124
00:38:48,500 --> 00:38:50,667
the Arctic and A lot of know how quite 

1125
00:38:50,667 --> 00:38:52,778
frankly . So , you know , these first 

1126
00:38:52,778 --> 00:38:54,889
strategies I think were a recognition 

1127
00:38:54,889 --> 00:38:54,659
of , hey , we , we might need to get 

1128
00:38:54,669 --> 00:38:56,502
after this problem set in a more 

1129
00:38:56,502 --> 00:38:58,502
profound way . Um And slowly , over 

1130
00:38:58,502 --> 00:39:00,669
time , there's been a bit of a greater 

1131
00:39:00,669 --> 00:39:02,725
awakening in the department . Um not 

1132
00:39:02,725 --> 00:39:04,613
only about our needs for homeland 

1133
00:39:04,613 --> 00:39:06,719
defense , um because the technology 

1134
00:39:06,729 --> 00:39:08,618
that has changed so much from our 

1135
00:39:08,618 --> 00:39:10,729
adversaries and our need to build our 

1136
00:39:10,729 --> 00:39:12,951
need to modernize some of that . Um But 

1137
00:39:12,951 --> 00:39:14,896
also that we can't just show up to 

1138
00:39:14,896 --> 00:39:17,007
operate there . We've got to exercise 

1139
00:39:17,007 --> 00:39:19,173
there with proficiency . We've gotta , 

1140
00:39:19,173 --> 00:39:21,062
we've gotta make sure that we are 

1141
00:39:21,062 --> 00:39:20,750
working with our partners and actually 

1142
00:39:20,760 --> 00:39:22,927
exercising with one another so that we 

1143
00:39:22,927 --> 00:39:25,030
survive uh when we are there . So I 

1144
00:39:25,040 --> 00:39:27,262
think the evolution that you've seen um 

1145
00:39:27,262 --> 00:39:29,429
is not just in semantics of a strategy 

1146
00:39:29,429 --> 00:39:31,596
uh where we've gone from acknowledging 

1147
00:39:31,596 --> 00:39:33,739
the problem to , you know , slowly 

1148
00:39:33,750 --> 00:39:35,806
articulating it more profoundly to . 

1149
00:39:35,806 --> 00:39:37,861
Now we're , I think getting into the 

1150
00:39:37,861 --> 00:39:37,810
nitty gritty of how do you implement a 

1151
00:39:37,820 --> 00:39:39,931
strategy and I can , and again , I'll 

1152
00:39:39,931 --> 00:39:42,098
restate the importance of an office um 

1153
00:39:42,098 --> 00:39:44,264
to do that . And that's where where my 

1154
00:39:44,264 --> 00:39:46,431
office is going to be heavily involved 

1155
00:39:46,431 --> 00:39:48,542
again in implementation . Thank you , 

1156
00:39:48,542 --> 00:39:50,764
ladies and gentlemen . Uh If you didn't 

1157
00:39:50,764 --> 00:39:52,987
get a chance to grab a hard copy of the 

1158
00:39:52,987 --> 00:39:52,820
strategy , we have those . If you 

1159
00:39:52,830 --> 00:39:54,886
didn't get a question , go ahead and 

1160
00:39:54,886 --> 00:39:56,774
reach out to me . The strategy is 

1161
00:39:56,774 --> 00:39:58,886
currently online at the Dod website . 

1162
00:39:58,886 --> 00:39:58,379
Thank you , ma'am .