Coastguards in peril: a study of Arctic defence collaboration

Abstract

Defence collaboration is on the political agenda in most western countries. Simultaneously, maritime activity in the Arctic region is growing, spurring demand for various coast guard tasks of both civilian and military characters. How can defence collaboration be applied to deal with a changing situation in the Arctic? Arctic coastal states are facing heightened risks, and their various coast guard structures have to provide extended capacities for a number of tasks. Simultaneously, most Arctic coast guards are experiencing a stretch in capabilities, as demand grows. This study asks whether it is purposeful – or even possible – to conduct defence collaboration on coast guard tasks in the Arctic. Subsequently, what are the drivers of, and challenges to, such collaboration, and what forms can it take? Canada, Denmark and Norway form the basis of this comparative study, given their status as NATO members and small-to-medium powers with prominent geographical positions in the North Atlantic/Arctic oceans.

Keywords:

• Arctic security
• defence cooperation
• coast guards
• sovereignty
• Maritime security

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.