ARCTIC: The Arctic Sentry & more – 17th Feb 2026

Haluu from Oakley! This is the Rorshok Arctic Update from the 17th of February twenty twenty-six. A quick summary of what’s going down North of the Arctic Circle!

Defending the Arctic from military threats has become the key political point between Arctic nations, so NATO is working to establish a new level of northern defence.

On Wednesday the 11th, NATO's supreme commander announced that the initiative Arctic Sentry had been launched and would provide coordination of allied activities in the Far North for the first time. Previously, NATO nations acted independently in the Arctic, but now allied nations will work together to defend the north from perceived threats from Russia and China.

This initiative is also intended to calm down tensions with the US, which has demanded that other countries take more responsibility in Arctic defence.

Some countries are going the extra mile to enforce northern defences. On Thursday the 12th, John Healey, the UK Defence Secretary, announced that the number of British troops deployed to northern Norway will double over the coming three years from 1,000 to 2,000 personnel.

In December twenty twenty-five, the UK and Norway signed a defence agreement that involved British forces playing a greater role in Norway’s security.

The UK will join NATO missions in the north, but it will also enforce its own Arctic defence measures as the country recognizes the need to secure peace in the north.

All the increased military action in the Arctic has some in Canada wondering how they can benefit. On Thursday the 12th, the Canadian broadcaster, CBC, reported that the mayors of Canada’s northern capitals are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding later this month, aimed at ensuring their cities benefit from military spending planned for the North.

The mayors believe that improving city facilities, such as water, sewage, and fire systems, is necessary both for increased military activity and for local communities. The hope is that national defence can be secured alongside an improved quality of life for Northerners.

More news on northern Canada, as it is welcoming a historic new investment into its education system. On Wednesday the 11th, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), a national Inuit advocacy group, announced that the main campus of the Inuit Nunangat University will be located in Arviat, Nunavut.

The world’s first Inuit-focused university has been in a planning stage for several years. The ITK has selected Arviat as the main campus location, but would also like to open facilities across the Arctic, in Nunatsiavut, Nunavik and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. The $150 million US dollar facility is expected to open in twenty thirty.

Alaska is spending big on new infrastructure too. On Thursday the 12th, the Alaskan newspaper, Anchorage Daily News, reported that Glenfarne, the developer of a giant Alaska natural gas pipeline project, is telling federal regulators that it expects to begin construction in April.

This announcement has left state lawmakers confused, as there is still a huge funding gap yet to be filled by investors. Glenfarne has signed several non-binding agreements with gas producers and gas line builders, but the total project cost is estimated to range between $44 and 70 billion US dollars.

Unless Glenfarne can guarantee it has the funding in place, the public could be left footing a multi-billion-dollar bill.

Outside of Alaska, the US still has its eyes set on gaining control of Greenland. But Greenland is increasingly looking toward complete independence. As reported by CBC on Wednesday the 11th, which interviewed Greenlandic Inuit on the topic, the recent conflict with the US has brought Denmark closer to Greenland. But even so, Greenlanders who have worked to establish Inuit rights in the country remember the colonialist policies that Danish rule has brought into Greenland.

Sara Olsvig, chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, told CBC that she envisions a future where Greenland gains autonomy, but does so by establishing strong alliances with European nations that support it.

There are few chances for Greenlanders to make themselves heard on the global stage, but the ongoing Winter Olympics in Italy have provided such a platform.

The Guardian wrote on Wednesday the 11th that, while some Danish audience members have brought Greenlandic flags with them, the real representation comes from Ukaleq and Sondre Slettemark, Greenland’s only two Olympic athletes at this tournament, the siblings both competing as biathletes.

The Slettemarks are both embracing their roles as national ambassadors, wearing bespoke skiing gear including national symbols like the northern lights, the national flag and traditional tattoo styles. Although they are officially representing Denmark at the Games, Greenlanders have dubbed the two as national icons.

Meanwhile, the Arctic wishes wildfires weren’t spreading so quickly. According to a NASA report published on Friday the 13th, wildfires are becoming bigger, hotter, and more frequent across the Arctic, including in areas that were once too cold or wet to burn. The twenty tens have seen a new era of wildfires in the north. Greenland was once too frozen to burn, but the country has seen severe wildfire seasons in twenty fifteen, twenty seventeen and twenty nineteen.

The most worrisome is the impact this is having on a global scale. The burning of once frozen permafrost is unleashing vast amounts of methane and carbon pollution into the atmosphere. This is having a measurable effect on global temperatures and air quality—as what burns in the Arctic, doesn't stay in the Arctic.

Another thing on the rise in the north is shipping activity. According to a report published by The Arctic Council on Thursday the 12th, over the last twelve years, there has been an increase of forty percent in Arctic shipping, with twenty twenty-five hitting a record high.

The increase in shipping coincides with diminishing sea ice in the Arctic, as corporations and governments seek to take advantage of the rapidly warming north. The most common ships are fishing vessels, but the ship type that saw the greatest increase in the Arctic was crude oil tankers, which saw a 400% rise over the twelve study years. Other vessels to see a huge increase are bulk carriers and cruise ships, as the Arctic becomes home to everything from oil to tourism.

In other news, Russia’s once-booming northern prospects are on the decline.

On Monday the 9th, the Russian news agency Kommersant Business Daily reported that Russia’s cargo traffic along its Arctic shipping route has fallen for a second consecutive year. Then, on Monday the 16th, Russian gas producer Novatek reported a sixty percent drop in annual profit in twenty twenty-five, as four years of Western sanctions on Moscow’s Arctic energy projects battered its exports. Net profits fell from around 5 billion US dollars in twenty twenty-four to almost 2.4 billion US dollars last year.

While the northern sea route saw record shipping activity in twenty twenty-four, and Russia has been building new icebreakers to deliver gas and oil from the Arctic worldwide, continuing international tensions have led to many walking away from Russia.

As the Arctic undergoes massive changes each year, there are real concerns that cultures and knowledge from the past are being lost. In an opinion piece written for Anchorage Daily News on Wednesday the 11th, Patrick McCormack writes how many rural communities are being forced to move to urban areas as remote Alaska loses economic opportunities and suffers destructive environmental changes.

He writes that the government is closing public access to many rivers and water systems, preventing rural Alaskans from subsistence fishing ways that have fed them for generations. This is causing new generations to forget old hunting ways, become disconnected from the land, and leave for different opportunities in cities. McCormick hopes the government can take steps to let subsistence opportunities expand, and allow Alaskans to live off the land as they’ve done for generations.

Check out the piece with the link in the show notes.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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Ilaannilu