"The Arctic coast guards now have an established framework to exchange information and are finalizing a set of combined operating guidelines to enhance interoperability," Zukunft stated.
Launched in October, the Arctic Coast Guard Forum is a consensus-based operational organization whose membership includes Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Russian Federation and the United States.
Since its launch, Arctic Coast Guard Forum working groups have established strategies to achieve common operational goals in the Arctic region, Zukunft’s statement explained.
In April, the Arctic coast guards announced Arctic Shield, a series of table top exercises culminating in a live exercise next year. Arctic Shield is designed to "address safety of life at sea" and address rescue challenges in the Arctic region.
