Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., underscored the important role the Arctic region will have for years to come as he met with U.S. Navy rotational forces in Keflavik, Iceland.

The United States’ engagement in the Arctic is critical, the chairman said, as it works with allies to promote peace and stability throughout the rapidly evolving region.   

“The Arctic is going to be a factor, not only today, but more so probably 10-to-15 years from now,” the chairman told sailors assigned to Patrol Squadron 40, a P-8A Poseidon multi-mission aircraft squadron on detachment at Keflavik Air Base.  

Competition in the Arctic has grown exponentially in recent decades, due in part to the thawing of once ice-choked sea lanes brought on by a warming climate, further opening avenues of approach.    

Brown noted the strategic implications these changes will have in managing great power competition throughout the globe, and the importance the region holds for the United States and its NATO allies.

The squadron hosted the chairman as it reaches the end of its monthslong rotation to the region to maintain maritime domain awareness, conduct anti-submarine warfare training operations, enhance regional stability and promote cooperative maritime safety and security.

Also present for Brown’s visit were sailors from incoming Patrol Squadron 1, who are set to take over operations from Keflavik in the coming days.   

Squadron leaders briefed the chairman on their operations from their hangar before he joined the aircrew for an anti-submarine warfare simulation from the air, aboard a P-8A.  

Brown emphasized his focus as chairman on the warfighter and on ensuring the U.S. military remains as the premier fighting force throughout the globe.

“Honing our warfighting skill has prominence in all that we do,” he said. “And that’s exactly why you’re here.” 

Brown visited the squadron as part of his two-day trip to Iceland to meet with his counterparts from Iceland, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden as part of this year’s Arctic Chiefs of Defense meeting.

This year’s meeting marks Brown’s first time attending the forum as chairman. During the visit, Brown also met bilaterally with his counterparts from Sweden and Norway.  

The forum is being held for the first time since the Defense Department released its 2024 Arctic Strategy in July which lays out the U.S. military’s approach amid rapid geophysical and geopolitical change in the region.

The strategy notes that the increasing impacts of climate change in the Arctic in addition to increased activity by Russia and China in the region have introduced a new and more dynamic security environment in the Arctic.   

The DOD strategy also highlights the increasing collaboration in the region between Russia and China across multiple instruments of regional power, including through joint military exercises in the region. 

“We are seeing more and more activity where Russia and [China] are working together, and the Arctic is the most recent area we’re seeing,” Brown said yesterday ahead of the high-level talks. “It’s something we all need to be paying attention to.”

In response to these challenges, the blueprint lays out steps to enhance the Joint Force’s Arctic capabilities through investments in sensors, intelligence and information sharing capabilities. It also prioritizes engagement with regional allies and partners in order to strengthen integrated deterrence and shared security.   

Brown said the goals laid out in the strategy include a secure Arctic that fosters global and regional prosperity and a focus on integration and leveraging the military strength and regional expertise of Arctic allies. The strategy also calls engaging in dialogue with allies and indigenous communities.  

The chairman added that the U.S. remains focused on deterring any malign activities including Russia’s modernization of capabilities that pose risks to the allied territories and interests, China’s growing influence in the region and the increasing cooperation between the two countries.

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