WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US Department of Defense is stepping up its military capabilities for increased activities in the Arctic Ocean region, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report stated.
“[The Department of Defense] has taken actions, along with interagency partners, to address some near-term capabilities needed in the Arctic, such as maritime domain awareness and communications,” the report, released on Friday, said.
The report outlines the increased military deployments in terms of their missions capabilities.
“[The Department of Defense] continues to monitor the security environment in the region and is tracking indicators that could change its threat assessment and affect [its] future role,” the report said.
“[A]s the lead agency for Arctic sea ice forecasting, [the Defense Department] has established an interagency team to focus on improved sea ice modeling,” the report stated.
The GAO explained that the US Navy's Arctic Roadmap document includes “an implementation plan and timeline for operations and training, facilities, equipment, and maritime domain awareness, among other capabilities.”
Moreover, the US Northern Command is updating the Commander's Estimate for the Arctic with “near-, mid- and long-term goals,” the report noted.
The Northern Command is also “conducting studies of various Arctic mission areas, such as maritime homeland defense and undersea surveillance, to identify future capability needs,” it said.
The Government Accountability Office is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress and investigates how the US federal government spends taxpayer dollars.
