Coming in from the Cold: Canadian Arctic Security Takes Center Stage

More than 75% of Canada’s world-leading coastline (upwards of 150,000 miles or 240,000 kilometers) is Arctic, along with roughly 40% of the land. Geopolitical instability, mixed with strained relations with the United States, a rapidly warming climate and constant technological advancement have heightened northern security concerns, especially for a nation so intertwined with Arctic ecosystems and communities.

Warm Weather, Frosty Relations

Although challenges to Arctic security are not singular to Canada, they are numerous and complex, requiring multifaceted solutions. “The Arctic has historically been a region of cooperation; [yet] strategic competition, climate change, technological advancements and economic interests are coming together in a way that makes this region more strategically important than ever before,” explained Nick Drescher Brown, spokesperson for the Department of National Defense (DND). “Competitors are demonstrating a more assertive posture and employing dual-use tactics, such as seemingly innocuous economic or scientific activities that act as a cover for military intelligence collection and planning.”

The Arctic is warming at four times the global average, making a vast and sensitive region even more accessible to other nations with an interest in hitherto inaccessible transportation routes, natural resources, critical minerals and energy sources. By 2050, according to Canada’s 2024 defense policy