Russia and China’s forays into the Arctic should prompt more joint training with US allies in the region.

Since the end of the Cold War, Washington has generally overlooked the Arctic. However, this region, also known as the High North, has become increasingly contested in recent years. In fact, US Northern Command completed a field training exercise in Alaska (Arctic Edge 2025) just this month. As an Arctic power, the United States can’t afford to cede control. Instead, we must see the High North for what it is: a strategic priority. 

Between plans to unleash Alaska’s natural resources and support for the ICE Pact—an icebreaker collaboration effort between the United States, Canada, and Finland—the Trump administration has made abundantly clear its desire to establish influence and capability in the Arctic.

This is especially important given the current state of the region.

There, melting sea ice has opened vital maritime shipping lanes like the Northern Sea Route (NSR), which links Europe and East Asia. As access to Arctic oil and gas expands, the NSR will only grow in importance—making it a continued strategic target for America’s adversaries.

Of course, Russia is the primary player and competitor in the Arctic and will likely attempt to cast itself as a disruptor to security in the region, especially once its forces are freed following a conclusion of the Russia-Ukraine War.

So far, Russia has attempted to claim control over the NSR in conjunction with the re-opening of Soviet-era bases in the High North and expanding infrastructure near the Finnish border. In Russia’s most recent Foreign Policy Concept published by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Arctic is ranked as one of its regional priorities—second only to the “near abroad,” a term encompassing the extent of the former Soviet Union.

And while Russia is the primary player and competitor in the Arctic, China can’t be dismissed either. Absurdly, China labels itself a “Near-Arctic State,” as if that permits its growing presence in the High North. At the same time, it’s working to strengthen its relations with Moscow.

In the summer of 2024, two Russian TU-95 and two PRC H-6 military aircraft conducted joint exercises within the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone. This year, they’re expected to combine their Arctic bomber patrol and naval operations to demonstrate their close partnership.

These kinds of threats demand a serious US strategy built on readiness, deterrence, and allied cooperation. Fortunately, Sweden—the newest NATO member, a close US ally, and a member of the Arctic Council—offers a model for Arctic preparedness.

Sweden’s Arctic Rangers are trained in the I-19 Norrbotten Regiment—the fastest growing brigade in the Swedish Army—in an effort explicitly designed to counter Russian and Chinese threats. Each ranger brigade specializes in subarctic operations, and through domain awareness, joint training, and interoperability, they’ve established robust and enduring capabilities to enhance deterrence in the Arctic. In October 2024, Sweden proposed two additional subarctic mechanized brigades intended to enhance capabilities in the Swedish High North by 2028.

Sweden’s experience hasn’t just benefitted them—it has also provided a practical framework for training our own troops via joint exercises. For instance, in 2019, the training exercise Northern Wind 2019 was conducted in northern Sweden, involving a total of 10,000 personnel from five NATO states: Sweden, Norway, Finland, the United States, and the United Kingdom. In January 2022, a number of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Special Tactics Squadron trained with the Swedish Subarctic Warfare Center, learning not just how to survive in frigid temperatures but also how to engage in effective and formidable offense.

These collaborative exercises prepare US personnel for the challenges of operating in a hostile theater characterized both by a harsh environment and by numerous security threats. That makes regular joint exercises, as well as rotational training in the Arctic region, essential to deterrence and lethality.

But the United States should also invest in its own Arctic readiness.

The Northern Warfare Training Center, located in Alaska, trains the 11th Airborne Division, which, until 2022, had been deactivated for 57 years. Once General Douglas MacArthur’s “Angels” and secret weapon in the Pacific, the division today has risen to the occasion in the High North. Now known as the “Arctic Angels,” these American soldiers are expected to be masters of Arctic warfare, training for combat in extreme cold weather and in mountainous and high-latitude environments.

It’s essential that America continue its investment in these and similar forces to increase strength in the Arctic. Our Nordic partners have been consistent and proactive in their commitment to Arctic security. It’s time for the United States to follow suit by expanding our military footprint through joint training, in order to engage and deter adversaries. The logic is simple. Deterrence in the Arctic requires credibility and capability. Increasing joint training between the 11th Airborne Division and our Arctic allies like Sweden contributes to this goal.

The High North will define much of the twenty-first century’s strategic competition. Thanks to Sweden’s leadership, the model for Arctic preparedness already exists. Now, the United States must match it—transforming lessons learned into permanent capabilities.