Strategic Approach to Arctic Homeland Security (p. 15 - 24)

We continue our discussion of the Department of Homeland Security's Arctic strategy with its second half. Refer to the full text here: https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/21_0217_plcy_dhs-arctic-strategy.pdf

Strategic Goals

The opening of the Arctic region has given way to increased access to waterways, creating unprecedented opportunity for resource extraction, tourism, fishing, and expanded military presence. Changing geopolitical, geographic, and technological circumstances will require DHS Components to expand mission execution in unfamiliar surroundings, garner additional resources, and develop strategic and operational plans to address the Department’s missions of today and in the years to come. The United States is an Arctic Nation – and for more than 150 years the USCG has served as the lead federal agency for homeland security, safety, and environmental stewardship – however geopolitical and environmental challenges necessitate an increasingly whole-of-government approach to the region. The increasing development and deployment of information and communications technology (ICT) are crucial linkages to commerce and communication that will continue to necessitate CISA’s attention. Diminished ice and increased waterway access for trade and tourism, in turn, will require an expanded operational footprint for the USCG and CBP, who will need to adapt to changing trade and travel patterns. ICE will continually evaluate criminal and civil enforcement of federal laws governing border control, customs, trade, and immigration in the Arctic Region. FEMA and the USCG will continue to assess and prepare for both environmental and man-made disasters in the Arctic to preserve and protect American lives and prosperity. DHS will leverage Component and other government agencies’ presence in the region, including co-location of facilities, joint strategic operational planning, cross training, and shared assets. All DHS Components will utilize sound information and maximize the use of intelligence for planning purposes. Components will seek innovative means to bolster their mission areas in the Arctic, to include the use of rapidly developing technologies such as artificial intelligence and Unmanned Systems (UxS), and leverage relationships within U.S. and foreign governments, academia, and industry partners.

The Department will meet the opportunities and challenges presented in the region as it focuses departmental resources to support our national policy objectives. The following goals, and supporting objectives, will guide our efforts:

GOAL 1: SECURE THE HOMELAND THROUGH PERSISTENT PRESENCE AND ALL DOMAIN AWARENESS

GOAL 2: STRENGTHEN ACCESS, RESPONSE, AND RESILIENCE IN THE ARCTIC

GOAL 3: ADVANCE ARCTIC GOVERNANCE AND A RULES-BASED INTERNATIONAL ORDER THROUGH TARGETED NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT AND COOPERATION

Guiding Principles

DHS will follow three guiding principles to ensure success in implementing the goals we pursue outlined in this Strategic Approach, understanding that our presence and actions in the Arctic reflect our national values and role in the global community.

• Commit to transparency and the sharing of information, which must be a hallmark of all DHS activities in the region. Transparency encourages good behavior and builds trust – but only if the information that DHS and its Components obtain and use can be shared with the interagency, the public, and international partners.

• Engage in practical cooperation throughout the vast Arctic Region. Operational partnerships based on mutual benefit and the realities of distance and extreme weather will necessitate a level of partnership that exceeds what most entities are used to in other parts of the Continental United States.

• Collaborate to safeguard stability and peace upholding Arctic norms and the rules-based order. DHS, in concert with Alaskan Natives, partners, and allies, will work to strengthen these norms. The Department will also preserve the Arctic region as a free and open area, supporting and preserving international legal principles of freedom of the seas, overflight, and other lawful uses of the sea, and unimpeded lawful commerce.

Join the discussion on the objectives outlined in this strategy on the forum: https://www.biedsociety.com/forum/the-arctic/security-and-governance-in-the-arctic