Balancing Sovereignty and Security: US and Canadian approaches to the changing Artic defence environment

Abstract

Balancing Sovereignty and Security: US and Canadian approaches to the changing Arctic defence environment July 2019 2080670H 17116139 36028184 Presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of International Master in Security, Intelligence and Strategic Studies Word Count: 21,487 Supervisor: Diarmuid Torney Date of Submission: 25 July 2019 2 Abstract The motivation and primary research interest of this dissertation is to assess US and Canadian approaches to defence in the Arctic in response to the evolving security landscape and need to protect state sovereignty. The secondary research interest is to determine if the two states have become more or less favourable towards increased NATO Arctic engagement. The first section of this dissertation lays out the historical background before conducting a literature review on security issues in the Arctic. Based upon identified literature gaps, the research question of this dissertation is focussed on how the two North American Arctic states, as members of both NORAD and NATO, have responded to the changing northern polar security environment. The second section of the study critically analyses the discourse around Arctic security in defence strategies and department plans by each state's respective defence department from 2011-2019. The analysis...