(IntegrityPress.org) – Former naval officer and president of Yorktown Institute, Seth Cropsey is arguing for the development of additional communications infrastructure on Alaska’s Aleutian islands. In a new op-ed for alternative media, Cropsey highlighted the value of the territory for surveillance of Russia and China while threats continue to emerge from both countries.
Congressional budget limits, and a general unwillingness by decision makers to use discretionary budget funds to enhance Alaska’s infrastructure are inspiring calls for Congress to mandate the improvements which would increase American military response times and situation awareness in the area.
The Russian-Ukrainian war is showing no sign of slowing down any time soon, and the United States sponsorship of Ukraine is increasing tensions between the two countries. Despite an aged military, Russia maintains nuclear weapons and a robust modern arsenal. Recent military exercises in the Arctic have only fueled further concern that America needs to beef up security in the High North.
Alaska is America’s only territory in the region and much of the land is only connected by boat or airplane. China is also presenting an emerging threat to Taiwan as further military exercises around the tiny island nation have been designed to remind locals that the Chinese could take the island by force, if they wanted to. A combination of internal struggles and other pressure is making that unlikely anytime soon, but Cropsey argues it’s something America will have to contend with in the coming years.
He argued that America needs more military depots and bases in Alaska as an adjacent military outpost to places like Pearl Harbor, Guam, and other military bases in Japan like Yokosuka and Okinawa. If China were to attack or disable those bases, the only nearest facilities would be the American mainland or Alaska; currently the bases in Alaska are not as developed as they had been during the Cold War.
Cropsey primarily wants to see advanced cabling connecting the outer Aleutian islands which would then allow advanced surveillance sites to be deployed giving America far more situation awareness and thus more response time, should something happen in the region.
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