The United States would welcome NATO's participation in Arctic operations while seeking to avoid militarization of the potential shipping route over the top of the world, the commander of US forces in Europe, Adm. James Foggo, told guests at the Atlantic Council on Friday.
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th October, 2018) The United States would welcome NATO's participation in Arctic operations while seeking to avoid militarization of the potential shipping route over the top of the world, the commander of US forces in Europe, Adm. James Foggo, told guests at the Atlantic Council on Friday.
"I would welcome additional interest," Foggo said. "It is, in the big scheme of things a small body of water. We don't want to militarize or overcrowd it. Right now in think the situation is stable."
Foggo's remarks came as 29 NATO allies, plus Finland and Sweden, prepare later this month to participate in a massive naval exercise called Trident Juncture 2018 off the coast of Norway.
The exercise will include 45,000 personnel, 70 ships and 120 aircraft, making the drill NATO's largest since 2002, Foggo explained.
Although the exercise does not involve the Arctic, Foggo noted that the United States is working closely with NATO ally Norway to maintain a safe, secure and stable environment in the Arctic - a goal that he said depends largely on Russian behavior in the region.
"It is my desire that they [Russia] continue to behave responsibly in the Arctic and they do not restrict access to the Arctic," Foggo said.
As the ice continues to recede, other great powers such as China without territory in the Arctic are interested in developing commercial shipping over the top of the Arctic Circle, Foggo added.
