A new U.S. Defense Department Arctic Strategy sees growing uncertainty and tension in the region

The new document emphasizes competition from Russia and China — and doesn't mention climate change.

The United States’ new Department of Defense (DoD) Arctic Strategy sees developments in the region as increasingly uncertain with “deepening and intensifying problematic strategic trends.” While it explains that there are many positive and cooperative tendencies in the Arctic, the new strategy highlights that the Arctic’s security environment is complex and that the region is in an “era of strategic competition.”