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.
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.
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.
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.
