U.S. Navy Responds to Increased Arctic Activity
The loss of seasonal sea ice in the Arctic will have ramifications for the U.S. Navy in terms of future missions, force structure, training and investments. To get a better handle on planning for future Arctic missions, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert asked me to provide an unambiguous assessment of how ice coverage will change in the Arctic and how human activity in the Arctic will change in response to decreased ice coverage and other factors. To understand this challenge, let me give you a little background.
When Will New Arctic Maritime Crossroad Open?
Rear Adm. Jon White, Oceanographer & Navigator of the Navy, Director Task Force Climate Change, was tasked by the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert to provide an unambiguous assessment of how ice coverage will change in the Arctic and how human activity in the Arctic will change in response to decreased ice coverage and other factors. "The loss of seasonal sea ice in the Arctic will have ramifications for the U.S. Navy in terms of future missions, force structure, training and investments. To understand this challenge, let me give you a little background.
Kruse, Director National/Naval Ice Center
Commander Denise Kruse will relieve Captain Raymond Chartier as Director of the National Ice Center (NIC), Commanding Officer of the Naval Ice Center (NAVICECEN), and CO-Director of the North American Ice Service (NAIS), Suitland, MD at a ceremony to be held at the U.S. Navy Memorial Heritage Center in Washington, DC on December 16, 2008. Captain Chartier has been Director/Commanding Officer since May 23, 2007. Commander Kruse’s previous assignment was US Naval Central Command /Combined Maritime Force/Fifth Fleet Staff Oceanographer. NIC is a multi-agency operational center operated jointly by the U.S. Navy (through NAVICECEN), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Navy, NOAA, USCG Sign Memorandum of Understanding
By Lt. j.g. Top officials from the U.S. Navy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Coast Guard signed a Memorandum of Understanding July 21, reaffirming their support of the National Ice Center (NIC). The NIC, an interagency office jointly operated by the Navy (Naval Ice Center), NOAA and Coast Guard, provides strategic and tactical ice analyses and other services that aid the navigation of U.S. vessels in ice-infested waters. “Today’s update to our original working agreement, first signed in 1995, means that the National Ice Center can continue monitoring the waterways for potentially dangerous ice and help guide ships out of harm’s way for the safe, efficient delivery of goods,” said retired Vice Adm. Conrad C.
National/Naval Ice Center Celebrates 30 Years of Interagency Cooperation
In a new era of increased interagency cooperation, the National/Naval Ice Center (NIC), in Suitland, Md., is celebrating a partnership that has been working successfully for over 30 years. The NIC, comprised of the U.S. Navy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), provides specialized strategic and tactical ice analyses to meet the operational needs of the U.S. government. It is the only ice center in the world that monitors sea ice in both northern and southern hemispheres by producing routine analyses of the Arctic, Antarctic and other ice infested waters. On Feb. 22, past and present staff members and leaders from the three participating agencies will gather to celebrate this unique collaboration.
