Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks announces the Pentagon’s new Arctic Strategy during a press briefing at the Pentagon on Monday, July 22, 2024 in Washington. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks announces the Pentagon’s new Arctic Strategy during a press briefing at the Pentagon on Monday, July 22, 2024 in Washington.
The U.S. has also struggled with Cold War-era Defense and State Department infrastructure that is degrading in the frigid weather, and erosion on the coasts. The report notes that the Arctic is warming “more than three times faster than the rest of the world” and could see its first “practically ice-free summer” by 2030. As the ice melts, the increased traffic, it said, will boost the risks of accidents, miscalculation and environmental degradation.