Policy

Canada’s defence ministry moved directly into negotiations with Sweden’s Saab for an Arctic surveillance aircraft, bypassing the planned competitive bidding process that would have included L3Harris Canada’s Aeris X.

Under Secretary of the Air Force Matt Lohmeier toured Joint Base Elmendorf‑Richardson and Eielson AFB from June 22‑24, highlighting nearly $11 billion in FY 2027 modernization projects—including a $404 million runway expansion—to bolster Alaska’s role in homeland defense and Pacific power projection.

Canadian federal government is reviewing a handful of projects, including Arctic road infrastructure, for possible national interest designation.

A federal Five‑Year Offshore Drilling Plan would open nearly all of Alaska’s coast—including the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas—to oil development, threatening the state’s world‑leading fisheries that generate about $4½ billion annually and sustain indigenous communities, amid concerns over limited spill‑response capacity.

The U.S. federal government plans to start the designation process for two critical Arctic projects—a road network and a nuclear waste repository—as national‑interest projects, with an announcement expected on Wednesday.

Ottawa is poised to unveil its leading national‑interest projects for Canada’s Arctic territories, prioritizing natural resource development while also seeking to enhance the region’s military footprint.

Kenneth Høegh, Greenland’s first Arctic Ambassador and chair of the Arctic Council (2025‑27), has steered the forum through Russia’s suspension and US interest in Greenland by resuming virtual working groups, launching strategic planning consultations, and promoting youth and sustainability workshops to keep the council relevant.

Sweden releases its Arctic Strategy, outlining five focus areas—peace, security and stability; economy and trade; climate and the environment; sustainable thriving—to guide national policy toward a peaceful, secure, and sustainable Arctic.

Canada is backing a new 500‑mile gravel road linking Yellowknife to Inuvik and an export terminal for minerals, aiming to open trade corridors outside the U.S. market.

Denmark anticipates that U.S.–Greenland talks will conclude with a deal by the end of this year, marking a significant step in Arctic territorial governance and potentially influencing future resource management arrangements.

The Government of Nunavut confirmed that no single provider controls its long‑term elder‑care contracts, while Premier John Main pledged to broaden at‑home services—though he did not yet set a funding figure, citing an existing budget and federal partnership.

Fourteen U.S. states are jointly challenging the Trump administration’s decision to open the Arctic Coastal Plain for oil and gas leasing, citing potential harm to wildlife and climate‑change mitigation efforts.

The U.S. Attorney General joined an amicus brief opposing expanded oil and gas development at Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, aligning with three lawsuits filed by Alaska Native villages seeking to protect the refuge.

Caribou in the Canadian Arctic lead the planet’s longest terrestrial migrations.

Anchorage Daily News opinion piece argues that Alaska’s delayed high‑pressure gas line from Prudhoe Bay to tidewater risks missing a generational opportunity, as current property tax rules and market price uncertainty may deter investors needed to secure stable, affordable energy for the state.

Canada unveiled its Nuclear Energy Strategy, targeting a 2035 rollout of dual‑use microreactors in remote Arctic areas to supply clean power and support defence readiness.

Mathieu Parker, director of the Arctic Council Secretariat since 2021, will step down to become deputy head and president of the Nunavut Housing Corporation, assuming the role on Sept. 21 after an orderly handover.

The Trump administration tried to lease 1.5 million acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling, but years of public pressure halted the move.