Russia and China are expanding their presence in the Arctic for strategic — not scientific — reasons, according to a senior U.S. commander.
"It’s not for peaceful reasons," said Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the supreme allied commander Europe, at a conference in Sweden Sunday.
"They’re not studying the seals and the polar bears," he went on. "They’re out there doing bathymetric surveys and trying to figure out how they can counter NATO capabilities on and under the sea. So that’s something that could grow very quickly, and we need to be mindful of it and ready for it."
A bathymetric survey refers to the mapping of the ocean floor, using sonar and other sensors to measure underwater depth and terrain. The surveys can support submarine navigation, identifying underwater chokepoints, and map routes for undersea cables or sensors.
He said Russia and China increasingly are conducting joint patrols north of Alaska and near Canada, but he does not see an immediate threat, "partly because Russia is so preoccupied with Ukraine."
President Donald Trump has insisted the U.S. must take control of Greenland for national security reasons, citing its strategic location between North America and Europe and its proximity to emerging Arctic shipping routes and military transit corridors.
Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, sits astride key sea and air lanes that U.S. and NATO officials view as increasingly important as melting ice opens access to the Arctic Ocean. The island also hosts a major U.S. military installation at Pituffik Space Base, which plays a role in missile warning, space surveillance and Arctic operations.
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Grynkewich added that Russia, China and North Korea are increasingly coordinating to oppose the West. In Ukraine, China funds the war effort, Iran supplies weapons and North Korea offers manpower.
"In the Arctic and the high north, we see a similar trend," Grynkewich said. "Russian and Chinese vessels are conducting more and more joint patrols. Chinese icebreakers and research vessels are in Arctic waters, and their research is not for peaceful purposes. It’s to gain a military advantage."
NATO has stepped up its deterrence posture as security concerns grow in the Arctic and under the sea, Grynkewich said, citing new efforts to protect critical infrastructure and improve allied coordination.
He said NATO’s Joint Force Command Norfolk, Virginia, recently brought all alliance operations in the Arctic under a single command, a move aimed at strengthening defense across Europe, the High North and key approaches to North America.
The alliance is also expanding Arctic surveillance, improving infrastructure and logistics, and increasing the presence of forces trained to operate in extreme conditions, including in Sweden.
With most Arctic nations now part of NATO, Grynkewich said the alliance is well positioned to secure the region.
"Seven of the eight Arctic nations are in the alliance," he said. "The other one is Russia."
