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The Arctic Security Review
- A Weekly Periodical Summarization of All Military Activity Detected in the High North -
Vol. I (2022) | Iss. 2 (Week 14) | 3 Apr - 9 Apr
Periodical’s Purpose
The purpose of The Arctic Security Review (ARS) is to help fulfill the mission of O.S.I.R.I.S. Media Productions, LLC—to Foster and Promote Global Security, Civil Society, and Individual Sovereignty throughout the world—by providing a free, weekly, and publicly-available academic publication showcasing all military activity in the Arctic Region. Since modern military activity in the Arctic Region may qualify for a “Cold War” status, ARS seeks to provide global decision-makers with easily accessible and transparent weekly intelligence reports on Arctic Security. This Review relies exclusively on OSINT.
Executive Summary—High Level
During the fourteenth (14th) week of 2022, OSIRIS has detected potential residual activity of NATO’s Cold Response 2022 in Tromsø, Norway. NATO also held Week One of Northern Viking 2022 in Iceland, focusing on territorial defense of the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom (GIUK) Gap, a strategic Arctic Ocean access point. Russia’s Northern Fleet conducted artillery & anti-aircraft exercises in the Barents Sea, and the New York Times released image intelligence (IMINT) of “all of the Northern Fleet's [Nuclear] Ballistic Missile Submarines” of the 31st Submarine Division docked at the Kola Peninsula’s Gadzhiyevo Naval Base, suggesting fleet-movement irregularities.
Executive Summary—Detailed Overview
The United States Zone: Activity in Alaska & All Contiguous Seas
7 April: AK National Guard, US Army, USAF Perform Joint Airborne Jumps at JBER to Train for “Short-Notice Mission Readiness in an Arctic Environment”
3-9 April: US Indo-Pacific Command (USPACOM) Conducts First Week of Polar Force 22-4 for Aerial Arctic-Based Agile Combat Employment (ACE)
The Canadian Zone: Activity in the N.W. Territories, Nunavut, Yukon & More
7 April: Canadian Government Announces Fiscal Year (2022-23) Budget With Reported Increase of CAD 8 Billion (USD 6.4 Billion) Spending in Defense Over the Next Five (5) Years, But No Specific Arctic Defense Strategy Delineated
The N. Euro-Atlantic Zone: Activity of Denmark, Iceland & Non-Nordic Europe
3-9 April: Icelandic Officials Facilitate NATO Exercise “Northern Viking 2022” (see Arctic Security Review Section “NATO Movements” for more details)
The Scandinavian Zone: Activity of Norway, Finland & Sweden
5 April: LA-Class Attack Submarine USS Albany Docks at Port Grøtsund in Tromsø—Norway’s “Gateway to the Arctic Ocean”—Due to “Operational Activity”
Executive Summary—Detailed Overview (Cont.)
The Russian Federation Zone: Activity from the Finnish Border to the Bering Sea
4 April: Russia’s Northern Fleet Conducts Anti-Aircraft Drills in the Barents Sea
5 April: NYT Releases IMINT Depicting “All of the Northern Fleet's [Nuclear] Ballistic Missile Submarines” docked at Gadzhiyevo Naval Base, Kola Peninsula
NATO Movements: Alliance Military Activity Anywhere in the Arctic
3-9 April: Week One of NATO’s “Northern Viking 2022” Concludes in Iceland, Focused on the Territorial Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom (GIUK) Gap
Week 14—OSINT BLUFs on All Arctic Zones
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The United States Zone
(Activity in Alaska & All Contiguous Seas)
3-9 April: US Indo-Pacific Command (USPACOM) Conducts First Week of Polar Force 22-4, an Aerial Arctic-Based Agile Combat Employment (ACE) Exercise
US Indo-Pacific Command (USPACOM) has conducted its first full week of “Polar Force 22-4” (PF22), an Arctic-based Agile Combat Employment (ACE) exercise located primarily around Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), AK. USPACOM and JBER press releases state that the purpose of PF22 is to “fly, fight and win” in a “contested, anti-access area denial environment” to help “ensur[e] a free and open Indo-Pacific.” The exercise is scheduled to last for two (2) weeks and participating aircraft include stealth Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors and a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III transport.
7 April: AK National Guard, US Army, USAF Perform Joint Airborne Jumps at JBER to Train for “Short-Notice Mission Readiness in an Arctic Environment”
Alaska’s Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) hosted a single-day joint exercise for airborne jumps between the US Army, US Air Force, and Alaska Army National Guard at the Geronimo Drop Zone. Senior Airman Emily Farnsworth of JBER Public Affairs stated the purpose was to “demonstrate short-notice mission readiness in an arctic environment." Elements of the training exercise included airmen of the 3rd Air Support Operations Squadron, soldiers of the 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, and guardsmen of the 211th General Support Aviation Battalion.
The Canadian Zone
(Activity in N.W. Territories, Nunavut, Yukon & More)
7 April: Canadian Government Announces Fiscal Year (2022-23) Federal Budget With Reported Increase of CAD 8 Billion (USD 6.4 Billion) Spending in Defense
The Canadian government has announced its Fiscal Year (2022-23) federal budget that features an increase of CAD 8 billion (USD 6.4 billion) in defense spending over the next five (5) years, CAD 6.1 billion of which “will help Canada meet its commitments to allies and continental defense and buy new equipment for the Canadian Armed Forces.” It is not yet clear how the government will utilize these funds for Arctic defense as Ottawa has not demonstrated a clear strategy regarding Arctic security this week in publicized press announcements leading up to the reveal of the Defense Budget.
The North Euro-Atlantic Zone
(Activity of Denmark, Iceland & Non-Nordic Europe)
3-9 April: Icelandic Officials Facilitate NATO Exercise “Northern Viking 2022”
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The Scandinavian Zone
(Activity of Norway, Finland & Sweden)
5 April: LA-Class Attack Submarine USS Albany Docks at Port Grøtsund in Tromsø—Norway’s “Gateway to the Arctic Ocean”—Due to “Operational Activity”
Norwegian Armed Forces spokeswoman Elisabeth Eikeland announced that the USS Albany (SSN 753)—a Los-Angeles-class (688-class) nuclear-powered attack submarine—docked at Grøtsund Harbor (Norway’s “Gateway to the Arctic Ocean”) in Tromsø. Eikeland stated the submarine arrived for unspecified “operational activity” and did not indicate how long the vessel is expected to remain in the locale. SSN 753 could be part of the residual military activity, following NATO’s Cold Response 2022, which the Norwegian Armed Forces had announced on 1 April: “There will still be some military transport, and some minor allied training and activity in April, after the field exercise.”
The Russian Federation Zone
(Activity from the Finnish Border to the Bering Sea)
4 April: Russia’s Northern Fleet Conducts Anti-Aircraft Firing in the Barents Sea
The Russian Ministry of Defence released a statement regarding a Northern Fleet vessel that “performed artillery and anti-aircraft firing in the Barents Sea.” The Kremlin has blocked internet access to its government websites and many Russian news outlets to web traffic from the US and other nations as part of its kinetic war operation in Ukraine. Regardless, on 4 April, a Western search engine provided a text preview of the Defence Ministry’s news feed for that day, suggesting that the Arctic naval forces are continuing to conduct military exercises in the Arctic Ocean’s Barents Sea.
5 April: NYT Releases IMINT Depicting “All of the Northern Fleet's [Nuclear] Ballistic Missile Submarines” docked at Gadzhiyevo Naval Base, Kola Peninsula
The New York Times (NYT) released image intelligence (IMINT) provided by a private contractor (and taken on 7 March) depicting “all of the Northern Fleet's [nuclear] ballistic missile submarines” of the 31st Submarine Division docked at the Gadzhiyevo Naval Base, located along the Kola Peninsula. Two researchers from James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) suggested that this docking behavior is inconsistent with normal vessel movements of this fleet and suggest that the Kremlin is not interested in using them to launch nuclear attacks, otherwise at least some of the vessels would be missing from the docks and patrolling open waters. However, the NYT did not provide an update on the division’s submarine movements since 7 March.
NATO Movements
(Alliance Military Activity Anywhere in the Arctic)
3-9 April: Week One of NATO’s “Northern Viking 2022” Concludes in Iceland, Focused on the Territorial Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom (GIUK) Gap
Over 700 NATO troops participated in the first full week of joint-exercise Northern Viking 2022 (NV22) in and near Keflavik, Iceland. NV22 is scheduled to last between 2-14 April 2022 and was originally scheduled to be held in 2020 but was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Seven (7) allied and partner nations participated in the first week of the drill, including France, Germany, Iceland, Norway, Portugal, the UK and the US. The mission of NV22 is to increase security readiness in and around the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom (GIUK) Gap, a naval “choke point” in the Arctic.
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