US Trails Russia in Arctic Exploration Race - Media

As more and more countries express interest in Arctic exploration, none of them – especially the US – is capable of overcoming Russia’s achievements in this sphere, The New York Times reported.

The US is dragging far behind Russia in the exploration of the Arctic, including both the development of transit routes across its territories and the natural resources hidden in those areas, many American experts admitted, as quoted by The New York Times.

“We have been for some time clamoring about our nation’s lack of capacity to sustain any meaningful presence in the Arctic,” said Adm. Paul F. Zukunft, Coast Guard commandant.

Barack Obama will be the first sitting US president to travel to the country’s Arctic territories. During his visit scheduled for August 31, the American leader aims to drag the world community’s attention to the problems of global warming.

According to American analysts, the US loses to Russia at every point in the Arctic development race that some experts have called the New Cold War.

The layout of a modern nuclear-powered icebreaker

© RIA Novosti

First of all, Russia has a large number of deep-water ports in the Arctic and a fleet of icebreakers capable of working at extremely low temperatures. In comparison, Moscow has at its disposal over 40 vessels of various types and Washington has just five – and only two of them are icebreakers. Additionally, most of the US flotilla isn’t prepared for Arctic voyages.

To continue the list, ten brand-new search-and-rescue stations are being constructed along the Arctic coast of Russia. Some US experts have declared that Washington should follow in Moscow’s steps in this respect.

Moreover, Russia holds maps of the entire Arctic region which are drawn more precisely than those of the US.

To wipe out a goal deficit in the Arctic race, the US must devote more funds that weren’t invested in the sector earlier, according to the New York Times.

“The United States really isn’t even in this game,” Admiral Zukunft concluded the country’s state of affairs regarding the development of Arctic territories, as quoted by the New York Times.