On March 19, a huge ice sheet shook and split with roar. A large metal structure emerged through cracks. It was the conning tower of the U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered submarine Connecticut.
The cracks were made by the submarine during the ICEX military exercises which were held from March 15 through April 2. The U.S. military holds the exercises in the Arctic every two or three years.
But this year, the exercises were participated in by another nuclear-powered submarine the New Hampshire built in 2008 as well as the Connecticut.
During the exercises, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus visited the temporary headquarters of U.S. nuclear-powered submarines in Prudhoe Bay at latitude 70 degrees north.
The U.S. military power in the Arctic was manifested well during the ICEX exercises, observers say.
On the other hand, the Norwegian military has moved its headquarters 1,000km northward inside the Arctic Circle at latitude 67 degrees north to become the first country to have command headquarters in the Arctic. The U.S. Defense Command has stationed troops in a Alaska area at latitude 61 degrees north.
The U.S. and Norwegian moves come after the NATO secretary general said that countries are beefing up their respective military in the Arctic.
Russia is taking the toughest stance. Moscow sent TU-130 bombers near northern Canadian airspace and the Arctic Ocean adjacent to Norway, posing a threat to the two countries.
Moreover, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said on July 1 that the Kremlin plans to create two brigades to defend sovereignty over the Arctic Ocean.