"Outside of our Exclusive Economic Zone, countries are sharing data on the Arctic seabed and littorals," Gallaudet stated on Tuesday. "In 2015 we were in St. Petersburg, Russia, for the ARHC meeting talking about sharing hydrographic capabilities and standards with member countries and Russia wanted to as well."
Founded in 1997 in Ottawa, Canada, the Arctic Council consists of the eight nations with significant economic and security interests in the Arctic Ocean. Member nations are the United States, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland.
Russia maintains close partnerships with the Coast Guards of all member states, Royal Danish Navy Rear Admiral Nils Wang said in a separate speech.
Gallaudet pointed out that just 20 percent of the world's ocean floors have been mapped by hydrographics.
"Russia does not want to burn its partnerships with other Arctic nations as they are too important for commercial reasons," Wang said. "A single nation’s Coast Guard can’t handle the entire Arctic expanse, no matter how many icebreakers a country has."
Wang views the Bering Strait and Arctic Ocean as a strategic imperative for Russia. He suggests they represent an "umbilical cord" keeping the Russian economy alive.
Wang and Gallaudet were speaking at the Navy League’s Annual Sea, Air and Space conference in Washington, DC.
