This week, we explore why the world comes to the Arctic through:
- The Big Picture: A “Neighborly” Meeting in Alaska
- From the Field: Arctic Exercises Draw an Audience
- On the Hill: NDAA on Deck
The Big Picture
A “Neighborly” Meeting in Alaska
On Aug. 15, 2025 President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin met at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska (on the Ted Stevens Center campus we might add) marking the first ever U.S. – Russia presidential summit in Alaska. As a geopolitical venue, the Arctic can be convenient, cooperative, competitive, and conflicting – often simultaneously.
From a standpoint of convenience, Anchorage makes for an easy meeting place for the two neighboring countries. Situated 4,300 miles away from Moscow, Anchorage is roughly equidistant between the U.S. and Russian capitols – a manifestation of geographic facts amplifying that Alaska sits at the intersection of North America and Eurasia.
The summit’s location – Alaska – alluded to a history of U.S.-Russian cooperation. While it’s now American soil, Alaska was once owned by Russia. The U.S. purchased Alaska in 1867 for $7.2 million (roughly $157 million in today’s dollars). The summit included formal bilateral talks, a photo opportunity on the JBER flight line, and a joint press conference during which President Putin referenced future opportunities for “Arctic cooperation.”
The presidential summit did not sidestep competition and conflict, though. In addition to the global context of the conflict in Ukraine, the meeting occurred amid Russian military activity around Alaska and Chinese-Russian joint naval exercises in the Pacific. Competition has also played out in the form of Moscow’s extended continental shelf claims that overlap with U.S. and allied positions.
These seemingly contradictory dynamics of the Alaska Summit represented broader trends within the Arctic. Alaska’s perceived remoteness has been replaced by a geopolitical centrality where strategic, diplomatic, and economic realities converge. The same might be said of the Arctic.
From the Field
Members of U.S. Marine Corps 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, 1st Marine Division, conduct a simulated port seizure during exercise ARCTIC EDGE 2025 (AE25) at Port Mackenzie, Alaska, Aug. 13, 2025.
Arctic Exercises Draw an Audience
In addition to the diplomatic envoys in attendance at the presidential summit, recent military activities have brought a host of U.S. and foreign visitors to the Alaskan theater, including Russian aircraft.
Military leaders, Congressional and staff delegations, researchers, and thousands of personnel traveled to Alaska for exercises ARCTIC EDGE and NORTHERN EDGE. This year marked the first time both exercises coincided in Alaska. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command leads NE25 in coordination with U.S. Northern Command, while North American Aerospace Defense Commandand USNORTHCOM lead AE25. The exercises tested cross-combatant command coordination and technological innovations in challenging conditions across Alaska. Sightings of a high altitude balloon drew public attention for its resemblance to the previous Chinese balloon overflight, but this year’s balloon launch was in fact part of AE25 experimentation.
Not to be left out of the action, Russian IL-20 surveillance and reconnaissance planes were detected by NORAD within the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone last week in the midst of AE25. While the incursions represent just one of many threats in the U.S. Arctic, they emphasized the relevance of ensuring U.S. military Arctic readiness through exercises like NE25 and AE25.
On the Hill
John Keast, Republican staff director of the Senate Armed Services Committee, meets with staff at the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies during a visit to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
NDAA on Deck
Last month, the Senate and House Armed Services Committees passed their respective versions of the fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. Both drafts prioritize detering China, with provisions to advance homeland defense and enhance security cooperation. The bills also codify executive directives on the Golden Dome and investment in shipbuilding. The Senate is set to vote on its version of the NDAA on Sept. 2. While the House has not yet set a date for a floor vote, the deadline for members to file amendments is Aug. 28. Some Arctic highlights are:
- New investments in Arctic radar sites and missile defense
- Funding tied to the Golden Dome Act, focused on layered continental air and missile defense
- Increased allocations for U.S. Coast Guard shipbuilding and polar icebreaking
Upcoming
- September 2: Senate NDAA vote.
- Late September: Arctic Coast Guard Forum exercise in Nuuk, Greenland
