Donald Trump wants to defend the Arctic. Except there's nothing
The Arctic is a ruthless place for war. This is an area of vast distances, where sub-zero temperatures can paralyze equipment, and armed forces must operate with limited support infrastructure.
However, as the competition with the United States' opponents and rivals intensifies, there is a growing awareness that the future clash may take place in the Arctic theater of operations. There is also growing concern among experts and officials about U.S. readiness.
If U.S. forces in the region cannot detect threats early, deploy assets appropriately and keep troops under austere conditions, the area could become a corridor for undetected attacks.
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Gaps in Arctic defenses were part of President Donald Trump's chaotic rhetoric regarding U.S. interests in taking over Greenland. He claimed it was necessary for a large US missile defense project known as Golden Dome.
“If there is a war, a lot of the action will take place on this piece of ice,” Trump said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. — Just imagine: these missiles would fly right over the center.
The president is not the first to highlight the strategic and national security implications of the Arctic. Warnings have appeared in successive administrations.
In recent years, leaders in Washington have expressed similar concerns about the importance of the Arctic region to the defense of the country's territory. In the 2024 Arctic Doctrine Strategy, the US Department of Defense emphasized the need for better and more modernized all-domain situational awareness, surveillance and sensor systems, maritime capabilities, and missile early warning technologies. As stated, existing systems were not sufficient in the face of growing threats in the region.
Specifically, the US – along with some NATO allies – have invested too little in the capabilities needed to detect, track and respond to activities across vast Arctic areas.
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The right tools for the mission
“Necessary capabilities include air and underwater surveillance, as well as defense and naval assets such as anti-submarine frigates, heavy icebreakers, polar-capable multi-role surface vessels, and dual-use maritime transport capabilities,” Liselotte Odgaard, a senior analyst at the Hudson Institute, wrote in a new report.
There is also a lack of infrastructure such as undersea sensor networks, command and control systems, ports, runways and roads.
“As a result, the U.S. and its allies have inadequate capabilities to monitor, respond and sustain operations,” she explained. “These deficiencies allow adversaries to move across waters and territories undetected, maintain forces in theaters for extended periods of time, and effectively challenge allied forces in near-combat situations.“- we read further.
American presence — whether in the form of situational awareness or more frequent exercises in the region — has also been insufficient, leaving the Arctic as “the shortest and least defended threat sector,” Army Gen. Thomas Carden, former deputy commander of U.S. Northern Command, said in 2024.
With the recognition of the scale of the challenge, new efforts have emerged. Recent measures, such as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the Coast Guard's fiscal year 2026 budget, allocate millions of dollars for new icebreakers, Coast Guard cutters, and necessary Arctic infrastructure upgrades. The newly renamed Coast Guard Arctic District has taken on a more prominent monitoring role, and last year the force received its first polar icebreaker in more than 25 years.
In addition, the US is working to implement new air defense and interceptor systems to replace or complement those deployed in Alaska. The Space Force's 2026 budget includes billions of dollars for Golden Dome — specifically space-based sensors and interceptors — and for the modernization of Pituffik Base in Greenland.
However, key areas remain underdeveloped.
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As Odgaard wrote in her report, part of the airspace over eastern Greenland and the North Pole is not constantly monitored, and the ability to detect and track submarines along Greenland's eastern coast is insufficient.
These gaps are concerning as Russia focuses on expanding underwater operations in the Arctic.
Unmanned systems—both maritime and airborne drones—could theoretically increase surveillance coverage over vast areas that are costly and difficult to patrol without increasing the burden on traditional manned aircraft and other means.
However, the harsh Arctic environment could make such efforts difficult. For drones, this can mean a strain on their batteries, range, connectivity and performance. Recent exercises have shown troops that sub-zero temperatures, poor visibility, snowy or icy conditions and high winds can impair the performance of drones and other equipment.
Renewed U.S. investments in preparations for military operations in the Arctic coincide with deepening cooperation between Russia and China and with their increasingly active pursuit of interests in the region. Russia is seeking to expand the operating areas of its submarines, while China is strategically positioning itself as a “close to the Arctic” state, joining Russia in joint patrols, including near Alaska. China is also investing in naval capabilities, ships and drones intended for operations in this area.
The above text is a translation from American edition of Business Insider
