1 of 9

1

All Domain Awareness * Information Domination * Decision Superiority

Defending the Northern Approaches

Lieutenant General David A. Krumm

Commander Alaskan NORAD Region, Alaskan Command, and 11th AF

2 of 9

Alaska’s Strategic Importance

2

“Alaska is the most strategic place in the world”

BG William "Billy" Mitchell, Testimony to Congress, 1935

7.7 HOURS

7.3 HOURS

7.4 HOURS

5.4 HOURS

6.4 HOURS

8.8 HOURS

8.4 HOURS

4.9 HOURS

8.1 HOURS

4.4 HOURS

“We must continue to take into consideration and understand the unique dynamics and challenges of the Arctic Environment”

Gen Glen VanHerck,

NORAD & USNORTHCOM CDR

To AFN, October 2020

Alaska is the perfect power projection platform for the United States, from a military standpoint, with Alaska being the closest U.S. location to the center of the Northern Hemisphere and therefore singularly closer to many national capitals in the hemisphere than most points in the lower forty-eight States.

Alaska’s strategic location is vital to our National Security, as it’s critical to defending the homeland from foreign attack and projecting military power into the Indo-Pacific.

In 1935, U.S. Army Air Corps General and founding father of the United States Air Force, Brigadier General Billy Mitchell called Alaska the most strategic location in the world. Today, with the advancement in modern technology and fifth-generation fighter aircraft that statement continues to capture the importance Alaska’s Strategic Location.

Additionally, photos on this slide highlight various key missions in Alaska that will be discussed later in the brief:
Sailing Days in top left:

Calculated using 15 knots SOG (Speed Over Ground) as a nominal speed for average USN fleet platforms. (Nome to Barrow uses 7.5 knots). Actual speed varies with platform type, weather, sea states, and various intermittent training conducted enroute.

The bottom two photos are of ICE-X and Arctic Edge 2020, two important exercises that prepare DOD forces for operating in and furthering understanding of the Arctic.

3 of 9

Arctic Sea Ice Minimums

3

Average September Minimum Extent

3

2012

Rate of Change

13.1%

Per Decade

4 of 9

4

Northern Clover

4

Northern Clover

As Arctic sea ice recedes it enables maritime transit through the Northern Sea Route and Northwest Passage.
These routes are desirable to shipping companies as they reduce time and are free from the risk of pirates operating in the Red Sea near the Suez Canal
For example, a ship sailing from South Korea to Germany would need approximately 46 days if it sailed around the Cape of Good Hope and 34 days if it sailed through the Suez Canal. That same ship would only need 23 days or fewer if it sailed through the Northern Sea Route. And an ice-free Arctic would allow that route to be completed even faster.
Russia is looking to the Northern Sea Route as a revenue generator and is posturing resources to support commercial transit through the route.
Beyond trade routes, many nations, to include Russia and China, are looking to the Arctic for opportunities to extract and develop natural resource and to access to previously inaccessible fisheries.
Additionally, there is increased tourism interest in the region. In 2016 and 2017 the Crystal Serenity Cruise ship sailed through the Northwest Passage. Increased tourism presents search and rescue challenges and would stress already limited SAR resources.

5 of 9

Great Power Competition

5

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping (Donat Sorokin/Tass Host Photo Agency/Pool via Reuters)

Russian icebreaker Yamal 2009.-Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

China's research icebreaker Xuelong, or Snow Dragon. Photo taken 2017 from Chaina Daily/ Xinhua

Russia’s New Arctic Military Bases [Lima Charlie News] [Image: ITAR-TASS Photo Agency

The Arctic is re-emerging as a growing theater for Strategic Competition (SC) from both Russia and China

Our adversaries are actively searching for ways to hold Canada and the U.S. at risk, and exploit any opportunity where they perceive weakness

A central aspect of our capable defense is a ready, credible deterrence to dissuade adversaries from threatening North America. ANR constantly stands ready to defend within the ANR Area of Operations.

ANR supports the NORAD and USNORTHCOM combined deterrence posture as part of a globally integrated approach to deter our competitors by denying them the ability to attack our homeland, deterring them with the threat of punishment coordinated with our national partners, and applying all the instruments of multinational power through our governments.

6 of 9

Enhancing Doma

6

Enhancing Domain Awareness

Notional National Defense Space Architecture, including the planned Tracking and Transport layers with SpaceX Starlink satellites

Hughes and OneWeb selected by the U.S. Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) to demonstrate managed LEO satellite communications (SATCOM) services to connect the Arctic region to sites around the globe. By OneWeb

Sea ice surveillance ,Polar Communications and Weather Project (CANADIAN SPACE AGENCY IMAGE)

Night time Starlink launch, June 3, 2020

All domain awareness: We must pursue a persistent battlespace awareness from the seabed to space to cyberspace to provide our decision makers timely and accurate information across all domains to counter our competitor’s malign influence and actions. ANR plays a part in this pursuit through its Long-Range Radar sites (LRRS), its Air Defense Squadron’s 24/7 monitor of the region’s airspace, and through systems that support space surveillance.
Information dominance: We achieve information dominance by connecting data from domain awareness sensors to decision superiority options. By pursuing Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2), we will increase our service’s ability to intake, process, discriminate, display, and disseminate data, perhaps with the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning. This will enable the third principle, decision superiority. While our region possesses many current sensors to detect competitor actions, we have a long way to go in order to field the types of systems that will meet the commander’s goal of Information Dominance.
Decision superiority: By increasing our all-domain awareness and information dominance, it gives our decision makers the ability to influence competition by getting inside their decision cycle, processing information and acting before they can. This will provide us the space to make critical decisions, enabling our leaders to deter and de-escalate before a situation can spiral into war.

7 of 9

Homeland Defense

No fail mission and our #1 priority

Must be prepared for two possible scenarios

In the Arctic
Through the Arctic

Strong defense partnership between U.S. and Canada is essential

USNORTHCOM Priorities: Domain Awareness, Information Dominance, Decision Superiority

Alaska is our Watch

8 of 9

Leading in the Arctic

8

ALCOM is USNORTHCOM’s Arctic operational level capability advocate, maintaining academia and private sector relationships as well as coordinating and hosting Arctic education outreach via our Arctic Defense and Security Orientation (ADSO) course, Arctic Speaker series, and Arctic Symposium and Senior Leader Summit series.
ALCOM’s Arctic advocacy line of effort includes helping to promote increased funding to accelerate our training, capabilities, and experimentation, as well as forging closer relationships with friendly Arctic Council nations, creating a symbiotic relationship, sharing ideas and Arctic-specific technological innovation.
ALCOM maintains critical relationships with indigenous peoples who comprise 19% of the Alaskan total population and who provide unique perspective and expertise in thriving in Arctic environments.
Alaska Natives are a critical layer of security in the Arctic. Based on generations of experience, they help close information and operational gaps, driving down risk. Maintaining and expanding these longstanding relationships will contribute to long-term success across the full breadth of regional and national security priorities.
Lower Left: Ice Camp Sargo in the Arctic Circle served as the main stage for Ice Exercise (ICEX) 2016; it housed more than 200 participants from four nations over the course of the exercise. U.S. NAVY / MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 2ND CLASS TYLER THOMPSON
Upper Right: U.S. Air Force Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, center, the Pacific Air Forces commander, talks to Julie Kitka, left, president of the Alaska Federation of Natives, and U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. David Krumm, right, the Eleventh Air Force commander, about the relationship between the military and the Alaska Native community at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Feb. 16, 2021�Arctic Advocacy
Arctic is an opportunity to work collaboratively with allies and partners to keep region secure and stable, where U.S. national interests are safeguarded, U.S. homeland is protected and nations work cooperatively to address challenges. The DOD will identify, develop and maintain capacity and capabilities necessary to promote safety, security, and stability in the region. Our security goals include keeping the Arctic region prosperous, environmentally sustainable, operationally safe, secure, and free of conflict, and protecting us, allied, and regional security and economic interests.

Some of our national security interests in the Arctic include our homeland missile defense interceptors (GBIs) in Alaska, early warning radars and air defense assets that have been operating in the Arctic and northern approach to North America for decades, deployment of sea and air systems for strategic sealift, maritime presence and maritime security operations ensuring freedom.
The Department’s two strategic objectives are (1) to prevent and deter conflict in the Arctic and (2) to prepare to respond to a wide range of challenges and contingencies—operating in conjunction with other states when possible, and independently if necessary. The United States seeks an Arctic region that is stable and free of conflict, where nations act responsibly in a spirit of trust and cooperation.

Ready to Fight Tonight
Readiness, presence, power projection and resiliency – across all domains

9 of 9

Take Aways

Homeland Defense is our #1 priority - Alaska is the perfect strategic power projection location for air and ground military forces

As key terrain in the Arctic changes and human activity increases, we must anticipate and outpace evolving threats

Alaskan Command is USNORTHCOM’s lead for Arctic affairs

9