Treadwell: Arctic Security Should Be National Priority

Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell delivered the keynote address yesterday at the Arctic Collaborative Workshop in Fairbanks.

Treadwell discussed five reasons why Arctic national security should be a national priority: energy development and security, shipping opportunities and safety, assessing and mitigating changes in climate and fisheries, attaining land access and territorial claims, and promoting the Arctic’s strategic position for military cooperation.

“We need to go to the Arctic with purpose,” Treadwell said. “Like Kennedy to the moon, Eisenhower to the Interstate Highway system, Teddy Roosevelt to the Panama Canal, we should expect strong leadership from our president.”

Major policy imperatives for Alaska, Treadwell said, include filling the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, maintaining food security, promoting job growth and attracting investment, and developing infrastructure. For the nation, Treadwell said safety at sea, international cooperation, and taking advantage of economic opportunities should be prioritized.

The Workshop was sponsored by the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the U.S. Northern Command, in coordination with Joint Task Force Alaska and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.