NATO Madrid Summit: May See an Underscoring of Commitment to the Arctic
Admiral James Stavridis is a retired four-star U.S. naval officer. Stavridis served as the commander of United States European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe from 2009 to 2013. (Photo: U.S. Army / Eric Steen).
"The likely addition of two Nordic nations, Finland and Sweden, adds to the importance of the High North and to the alliance’s strength in its waters", says Admiral James Stavridis, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander.
There will likely be an underscoring of NATO's commitment to the Arctic during this week's NATO Summit in Madrid, according to retired U.S. Navy admiral James Stavridis.
"As global warming opens vast resources and shipping routes, the geopolitical tension between Russia on one side of the “Arctic Porch” and NATO on the other (the US, Canada, Denmark, Iceland and Norway) will increase. Surveillance, training and joint exercises will likewise be stepped up", Stavridis writes in an opinion piece in Bloomberg, for which he is an opinion columnist.
"And the likely addition of two Nordic nations, Finland and Sweden, adds to the importance of the “high north” and to the alliance’s strength in its waters", he continues.
New Strategic Concept
During the Madrid Summit, NATO will adopt its new Strategic Concept. which will define the security challenges facing the Alliance. The last Strategic Concept was released in 2010.
"Russia will clearly be at the top of everyone’s mind," the retired Admiral explains. He also notes that the long-term plan will describe China as a strategic competitor.
"NATO is not looking for conflict with Beijing, but must be capable of addressing concerns in cyberspace, human rights and territorial claims in the South China Sea", he says.
