Report: No sign of arms race in Arctic
Mar 26, 2012, 3:17 PM
STOCKHOLM (AP) – A Sweden-based think tank has described the military buildup in the Arctic as “limited” and says there is no sign of an arms race in the region.
A report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, or SIPRI, says the scramble for Arctic resources laid bare by climate change “has not proven to be a military affair.”
SIPRI says Canada, Denmark and Norway are expanding their military capabilities in the region, while Arctic security “plays only a minor role” in U.S. defense policy.
In sum, SIPRI says, it “finds no basis for claims of an Arctic arms race,” while noting that concerns about stability in the region “cannot be discounted completely.
SIPRI’s report was released Monday ahead of a meeting of the Arctic Council in Stockholm.
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