Navy preps for uncharted Arctic waters

[unhappycamper]

Members of the Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station clear ice from the hatch of the Los Angeles-class submarine Annapolis on March 21 while participating in Ice Exercise 2009 in the Arctic Ocean. The Navy is preparing for an expanded role in the Arctic Ocean because of climate change.


Navy preps for uncharted Arctic waters
By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Nov 24, 2009 16:21:50 EST

Time to order some new parkas, wool watchcaps and warm gloves.

As polar ice melts at the top of the world, more space to drive ships will open, meaning job opportunities for the surface fleet.

In the next four years, the Navy, Coast Guard and other government organizations will figure out what ships, training, equipment, rules and schedules they will need for a whole new operating area, through their “Arctic Roadmap” released Nov. 10.

“As the ice melts back, it is an ocean, and we as the United States Navy work in every ocean in the world,” Rear Adm. Dave Titley, oceanographer and navigator of the Navy, said in a telephone interview. “The Arctic is a challenge; it’s not a crisis. Nothing is in danger today, but it’s something we realize we’re going to have to take a look at.”

The Navy expects to contend with increased maritime traffic combined with international disputes over passage rights, sovereignty, and access to oil, minerals and natural gas.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/11/navy_arctic_TUES_112409w/