The United States and Latvia jointly conducted a ten-day military exercise in the Arctic.
The goal was to prepare for a mission against Russia.
WASHINGTON, DC – The Arctic region has been a frequent scene of tension between American and Russian military aircraft.
The US National Guard has now held cold-weather drills as the Arctic could be a future flashpoint for hostilities between Russia and the US, US magazine
Newsweek
reported
.
The ten-day military exercise "Northern Strike 23" at Camp Grayling, Michigan takes place at a sensitive time.
The invasion of the Ukraine by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin has at least increased the likelihood that the high tensions between Moscow and the West could spread to the Arctic,
writes
fr.de.
+
The Coast Guard ship "Polar Star" breaks through the pack ice in Antarctica in January 2023.
(icon picture)
©US Coast/Imago
Confrontation between the USA and Russia as a result of the Ukraine war
The exercise, which took place between January 20 and 29, also used the M777 howitzer, a NATO weapon used by the Ukrainian armed forces,
Newsweek
reports.
The focus of the exercise, in which troops from Latvia also took part, was artillery.
The Baltic state is also keeping a close eye on the threat posed by Russia.
Tanks, drones, anti-aircraft defenses: weapons for Ukraine
Tanks, drones, anti-aircraft defenses: weapons for Ukraine
Malte Humpert, founder and senior fellow at think tank The Arctic Institute, told the magazine the drills symbolize "that the US is really going more and more on the offensive" when it comes to the Arctic region.
"This is not preparation for World War III," he stressed.
It was "just another step showing that the US understands Russia as a hostile nation and that this hostility can potentially extend to the Arctic, which has always been viewed as a region of exceptional circumstances." NATO allies such as Norway and potential new ones Allies, Sweden and Finland, would count on US support in the event of a confrontation in the region.
Though Russia is focused on resupplying its war effort, it has continued to expand its military bases in the Arctic over the past year and upgraded radar stations and airstrips in the region, according to US broadcaster CNN
reported in December citing satellite imagery.
(cas)
Rubric list image: © US Coast/Imago