On the subject of Remediation. Canada’s Dept.of National Defence stated: Remediation was the largest environmental clean-up in Canada’s history. The DEW line remediation project cost Canada $575 million and saw the removal of toxic waste from 21 former radar stations across the Arctic.

List of Canadian NWS radar sites administered under the Nusittaq contract. From maps.google.com. Google the web site under the heading Canadian North Warning System(NWS)-GoogleMYmaps. Long range radar sites are in Blue, short range radar sites are in Red. Once you are logged on the original web site, by clicking on the red or blue pin , you can see where the radar site is and whether it is active or not.

UPDATES TO MY BLOG OF 2017.. and on.

With the recent aggressive moves by Vladimir Putin of Russia, starting with the take over of Crimea in 2014, and now the even more aggressive war occurring in the eastern part of Ukraine, we now worry more about the future and what it means for the “free” world: NATO, Europe and even farther west such as Canada and the United States of America.

An updated article was written by Paul Tukker, CBC News, and posted May 19,2022. It is an interesting and thought-provoking article.

It is entitled : The DEW lines at 65. Future unclear for the North’s aging radar sites. Here are a few excerpts from the article.

NATO and the West now have to worry about the extremely aggressive China. This next article dated April 18,2023 is only one to illustrate the very aggressive agenda by China in cooperation with Russia with regards to Canada’s Northern Passage. The following lines are direct quotations from the 4 authors’ 2023 article. It makes for compelling reading and food for thought.

China’s pursuit of great global power draws it to Canada’s frozen reaches. With climate change, China also sees a potential silver lining with the opening of new shipping routes which would reduce transit times for seaborne trade.

Without sovereign jurisdiction in the Arctic, China leans on partnerships with other states to further its interests. China has 2 permanent research stations in the area, 1 in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago and the other in Iceland. The Chinese have identified which Russian ports hold the greatest potential for facilitating Chinese access to the region. 3 areas are Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, and Sabetta.

This is one of the most recent updates to my travel blog about the Canadian Arctic and its strategic importance in a “climate-change” world. What will happen remains to be seen as various national interests express themselves.

A Chinese Flag on the Arctic?

This is another interesting article about the strategic importance of the Arctic and the conflicts of interest by various countries.

A very apropos excerpt from this 12- page article, dated April 2022.

As you can see from the above caption, the Putin/Russia war against Ukraine caused a lot of consternation with the Arctic Council with a suspension of any further meetings. The saga goes on!

In 2018, the People’s Republic of China published a white paper titled China’s Arctic Policy, promoting China’s position as a “near Arctic State”

Russia surprised everyone when they decided to plant a Russian flag on the sea bed below the Noth Pole.

The original article is found at “thebarentsobserver.com “. This article states it’s not only a sign of dominance, but it is also a sign of defiance. There are very few relations between Russia and the other seven Arctic states.

This diagram shows the various countries’ continental shelf claims to the Arctic.

This 4-page article in http://www.defense.gov/News is dated May 10, 2023. This is imperative because the present radar warning system is way absolute. Technologies have changed/vastly improved and the present-day radar system cannot track the newer hypersonic missiles.

This 5-page article, dated Dec.,20,2023, illustrates the latest U.S. developments to counter the threats of hypersonic missiles. Today the U.S. uses a mix of space and ground base sensors to detect and track missiles. The Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) and Defense Support Program(DSP) satellites provide initial warning and early tracking. New threats and sensors are developing at a fast pace. These quotes are all taken from the David Roza article.

Where does Canada stand in all of this? Below is a 7-page article by Ryan Finnerty, dated October 2022. Canada will spend billions over 20 years to enhance the defense of its sprawling Arctic region, citing threats from autocratic regimes (Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran). This includes modernization of command-and-control infrastructure and the acquisition of air-and-space tracking systems.

Another autocratic country bringing a lot of concern is North Korea with a very aggressive Kin Jong Il trying all kinds of missiles and satellites. He has utter disdain for the United States. The following article by the Associated Press appeared in the Edmonton Journal on Jan. 2, 2024.

Kim Jong-un, in World News and Aljazeera on Jan.1,2024 stated that his military should “thoroughly annihilate” the US and South Korea if provoked.

Another country that the U.S. has to be worried about. And that’s not all, look at what is happening in Iran.

In an article entitled Iran unveils what it calls a hypersonic missile able to beat air defenses amid tensions with the U.S. Article by Jon Gambell, June 6,2023. Above are Iranian women watching a display of the Fattah missile. This missile is capable of traveling at 15 times the speed of sound

A sophisticated Iranian warship on the Caspian Sea. Iran’s Navy adds cruise missiles to its arsenal.

The Ayatollah and Iranians with missiles. From an article entitled “Will Iran give Russia ballistic missiles for the war in Ukraine”. Courtesy of Mazior Motamedi, Nov. 23,2023. From Aljazeera,Jan.1,2024, as well as quotes by John Kirby, White House Security spokesman :

Putin meeting with the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

All of this is enough to worry the world as the East autocratic dictatorship countries view the U.S. and the West democracies as a threat to their ideologies, agendas, and aspirations. Let’s hope eventually that some common sense prevails with all sides. It seems like the history of the world has been full of Empires and people wanting to create their own Empires. When will it ever end and we can reach a world where we can get along and say “Live and Let Live”. “Peace on Earth to People of Good Will”.

J.L. Ares submitted this last portion on Jan. 2, 2024

Continuation and Update as of Feb. 2024.

As Putin’s 2 -year War against Ukraine continues , one has to worry about Putin’s future real ambitions as he would love nothing better than to re-install the USSR and Russia’s former glory. The following article shows what is happening now in developments.

We should worry not only about Russia’s autocracy but also those of China, Iran, and North Korea. THe following are still part of Murray Brewster’s article of Feb. 2, 2024.

Sergei Shoigu of Russia meets with Kim Jong Un of North Korea.

The following article appeared in the Edmonton Journal on July 25, 2024. Canada now has a new armed forces chief, General Jennie Carignan. She has a daunting task before her to address Canada’s continued lack of support to our military and to fulfill Canada’s 2 % promised share of defence contributions to NATO.

With both Russia and China there are threats to Canada’s sovereignty in the Canadian Arctic. As the article states, if Canada continues to be absent in the Arctic, we will lose it.

A further article dated Sept. 21,2024 illustrates at great length Canada’s lack of urgency on Canada’s defense of the Arctic.