Research On The Construction Of Russian Arctic Defense Force After Cold War

With the continuous improvement of human productivity and the deepening of human utilization of nature,the development and application of nuclear powered ships,satellite navigation,jet aircraft and other technologies have helped mankind begin the process of in-depth exploration and understanding of the Arctic.Human’s development of the Arctic has brought about the ebb and flow of national boundaries and the natural boundaries of the Arctic,and the whole Arctic began to be separated by artificial boundaries in a geographical sense.These sovereign borders are not only the dividing line between the interests of all countries,but also the trigger of conflicts in the Arctic.As more and more parties are involved in Arctic affairs and governance,interest disputes and political contradictions among countries outside the Arctic boundary have begun to permeate the Arctic.After the collapse of the Soviet Union,Russia’s geopolitical conditions,politics and economy have undergone profound changes.As the largest Arctic country,the reform of Russia has reshaped the power pattern of the Arctic on the one hand,and also changed the position of the Arctic in Russia’s own national strategy on the other hand.Due to the shift of strategic focus to the West and the improvement of the security situation in the Arctic,Russia’s arms in the Arctic have been seriously weakened for a long period of time,and the construction of its defense forces has been stalled.Since the beginning of Putin’s third term,Russia has begun to strengthen the construction of defense forces in the Arctic under the background of highlighted economic potential and intensified competition in the Arctic,which has caused strong security anxiety in neighboring countries.Russia’s active defense force building in the Arctic is the result of the two major driving forces of coping with the western strategic squeeze and planning the future development of the Arctic.After years of investment,Russia has basically rebuilt its Arctic defense system,and the establishment of special Arctic forces has improved the combat capability of the Russian military in the Arctic.The operation of the Dagger and Zircon hypersonic missiles has greatly enhanced Russia’s asymmetric deterrence capability in the Arctic at a relatively low cost,becoming the "two axes" of Russia’s asymmetric combat system in the Arctic.In addition,thanks to the improved Arctic infrastructure and management brought about by military construction,Russia has improved its utilization of the northern Sea route and the economic development conditions of the Arctic.However,in the process of building Arctic defense forces,Russia has also exposed the problems of over-reliance on the military heritage of the Soviet Union,as well as the strategic thinking lagging behind the current trend of global Arctic governance and cooperative development.In the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict,the strategic position of the Arctic is becoming increasingly important.Russia’s further actions and strategic choices in the Arctic in the future will have a profound impact on the interests of China and other Arctic stakeholders in the Arctic.It is not clear whether Russia has enough resources to invest in the Arctic at the expense of special military operations.However,under the sanctions and isolation of the West,the North Sea route and the Arctic as Russia’s strategic logistics channel and new economic growth space has been improved.In the long run,Russia is expected to strengthen defensive deterrence activities against NATO in the Arctic and continue to strengthen the construction of Arctic defense forces to serve the economic development needs of the Arctic.Russia’s defense force building in the Arctic in recent years has objectively strengthened the security dilemma of the Arctic and the strategic suspicion of the Arctic states.Under the influence of the Russia-Ukraine conflict,there have also been two trends: the Arctic issues spreading outward and the extraterritorial international conflicts penetrating into the Arctic,which have intensified the strategic game in the Arctic.In the face of the increasingly complex and grave situation in the Arctic,China should strengthen its capacity to cope with the complex international relations in the Arctic,and the international community should work together to improve international laws,regulations and multilateral governance mechanisms on the Arctic.