The Artic becomes a security risk, bush signs presidential directive (no, not the onion)

[The Straight Story]

New Arctic policy has big implications for agencies
By Katherine McIntire Peters [e-mail] January 15, 2009

Ten days before leaving office, President Bush issued a new Arctic region policy that acknowledges the security, economic and environmental implications of melting ice at the North Pole and sets the stage for increasing responsibilities at a number of agencies, including the departments of Defense, State, Homeland Security, Interior and Commerce.

Bush signed national security and homeland security presidential directives implementing the changes on Jan. 9.

"This has implications for all of the departments," said Scott Borgerson, visiting fellow for ocean governance at the Council on Foreign Relations. The policy, which has been in the works for years, is overdue, he said.

The polar ice cap is shrinking at a much higher rate than scientists with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted just four years ago. The implications for security, trade, energy production and the environment are tremendous, Borgerson said. For example, melting ice is opening access to oil and gas deposits and creating shipping shortcuts between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

The new policy states six objectives:

* Meet national security and homeland security needs.
* Protect the Arctic environment and conserve biological resources.
* Ensure natural resource management and economic development are environmentally sustainable.
* Strengthen international institutions among the eight Arctic nations.
* Involve the Arctic's indigenous communities in decisions.
* Enhance scientific monitoring and research.

The policy states unequivocally that the United States will protect its interests in the region with or without allies. "These interests," it declares, "include such matters as missile defense and early warning; deployment of sea and air systems for strategic sealift, strategic deterrence, maritime presence, and maritime security operations and ensuring freedom of navigation and overflight."

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41809&sid=60

[kirby]

1. Translation...

With the melting artic ice, new business opportunities arise to those who dominate the new waterways, so claim and defend it!

[Gman]

2. Good work!

That's exactly what it means.

[charlie]

3. Bomb it back to the Ice Age! n/t

[BlooInBloo]

4. I don't see why one would think this would be from The Onion....

The shortest (geodesic) distance from Russia to the mainland US goes through the arctic, and if it becomes entirely navigable by ship, that would become a submarine issue (among other things).

[The Straight Story]

5. having bush and climate change in same article makes it read like from onion

:)

[BlooInBloo]

6. Oh - gotcha!

[demodonkey]

7. Oh noes! Watch out for the big Putin-head rearing on the horizon! nt

[Kip Humphrey]

8. Take THAT! ...ummm, ...Canada? Er... the Northwest Passage is OURS!!!!