Arctic Maritime Security: US Coast Guard and Canadian Navy Operations

On 26 January 2022, Captain Alan McCabe, Chief of Response, District 17, United States Coast Guard; and Commander Corey Gleason, Royal Canadian Navy, first Commanding Officer, HMCS Harry DeWolf, spoke to RUSI(NS) and guests with presentations “Arctic Maritime Security: US Coast Guard and Canadian Navy Operations.”

The Arctic is reemerging as a growing theatre of strategic competition from both Russia and China. The Arctic region is an ‘avenue of approach’ to North America for air, space, maritime, and land threats – directly over the pole ‘in and through’ Canada. The United States Coast Guard and Canadian Navy are the ‘First Line of Defence’ with their proven Arctic maritime response capabilities, provide credible deterrence, and conduct joint operations to counter new and emerging threats to the North American Arctic. Captain McCabe and Commander Gleason provided engaging insights into operational, tactical and personal aspects of operating in the North and Arctic.

PDF of Captain McCabe’s and Commander Gleason’s presentations slides are available here (USCG) and here (RCN). Commander Gleason used a few slides to introduce his main presentation during which he spoke over a fascinating video of Harry DeWolf’s voyage of the North West Passage. The video has not yet been made available by the RCN. A recording of the presentation is available to event registrants on request to RUSI(NS).