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The Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies launched its newest executive education course this month to prepare security professionals for operations in the rapidly evolving Arctic operating environment.
The inaugural Understanding the Arctic Operating Environment Course, held virtually Aug. 19 to 21, brought together 56 participants from the United States, Canada, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and Bulgaria.
The course aimed to deepen understanding and develop strategies for addressing security challenges in the Arctic related to the dynamic operational environment. Participants identified strategies for resilient military operations in the changing Arctic and explored how to develop strategic policy that could be applied toward future scenarios.
“The Arctic theater is one of the most dynamic and challenging operational domains in the world today,” said Craig Fleener, deputy director of the TSC. “It has opened the region to increasing strategic competition.”
Over three days, the course delivered 22 hours of targeted instruction through expert briefings, interactive exercises, scenario-based strategy sessions, and a final capstone presentation focused on military resilience. Participants included U.S. and international military members, planners, and civilian security professionals.
“You don’t have to go far in today’s news cycle to get a glimpse of the issues surrounding the Arctic,” said Matthew Bell, dean of the School for Arctic Security Studies. “From shifting sea ice to expanding foreign presence, this region is a proving ground for strategic foresight.”
Participants examined the risks of operating in a region defined by harsh conditions, degraded infrastructure, limited communications, and logistical unpredictability. Topics included ISR, cold weather operations, strategic deterrence, and coordination across NATO and allied networks. The course emphasized both physical and geopolitical realities such as permafrost degradation, extreme weather, and rising competition for resources and influence.
Throughout the course, students applied lessons learned in real time. Breakout groups developed and briefed operational strategies tailored to Arctic-specific conditions with a focus on readiness, sustainment, and security cooperation during a final capstone presentation.
One U.S. military participant noted the relevance of the Risk Assessment session.
“The session on Risk Assessment for Arctic Military Operations was by far the most interesting and useful today,” they said. “It felt the most practical, relevant and applicable to Arctic operations on the ground, and the real-world examples and relatable stories really aided in learning and remembering the new information.”
As a professional military education program, UAOEC is part of the TSC’s broader mission to cultivate Arctic literate leadership and align academic offerings with strategic priorities of the Department of Defense. The course reinforces U.S. efforts to deter adversaries, strengthen alliances, and prepare the joint force to compete and operate effectively in the North.
As the Arctic gains strategic importance, UAOEC ensures military leaders are prepared to operate, not just observe, in the region.
| Date Taken: | 08.26.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.29.2025 20:56 |
| Story ID: | 546946 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, ALASKA, US |
| Web Views: | 31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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