Gen. Alexus Grynkewich told a Swedish conference that Russia and China are expanding Arctic activity for strategic — not scientific — reasons, including conducting bathymetric surveys and joint patrols north of Alaska and near Canada. He warned these efforts could be used to counter NATO undersea and surface capabilities. NATO has centralized Arctic operations under Joint Force Command Norfolk and is boosting surveillance, infrastructure and forces trained for extreme conditions. Greenland’s strategic location and U.S. facilities there factor into allied security planning.
US General Warns Russia, China Are Expanding Arctic Activity 'For Strategic — Not Scientific — Purposes'
The U.S. controls Pituffik Space Base in Greenland.
Senior U.S. commander Gen. Alexus Grynkewich warned at a conference in Sweden that Russia and China are increasing their presence in the Arctic for strategic — rather than scientific — reasons. He cautioned that these missions appear aimed at gaining military advantage, particularly undersea and across key Arctic approaches.
“It’s not for peaceful reasons. They’re not studying the seals and the polar bears,” Grynkewich said. “They’re out there doing bathymetric surveys and trying to figure out how they can counter NATO capabilities on and under the sea.”
Bathymetric surveys map the seafloor using sonar and other sensors to measure depth and terrain. Such data can support submarine navigation, reveal undersea chokepoints, and help plan routes for cables or sensor networks — all of which have clear military as well as civilian uses.
Grynkewich said Russian and Chinese vessels are conducting more joint patrols north of Alaska and near Canada, though he stopped short of calling the activity an immediate threat, noting Russia’s current focus on the war in Ukraine.
Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, warned that Russia and China are not in the Arctic for "peaceful" reasons.
The general also invoked broader cooperation among states that oppose the West, saying that in other theaters China provides funding, Iran supplies weapons and North Korea offers manpower — and that similar patterns are emerging in the High North.
Attention to Greenland has risen in U.S. political debate because of the island’s strategic location between North America and Europe and its proximity to new Arctic sea lanes. Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, hosts Pituffik Space Base, a key U.S. installation supporting missile warning, space surveillance and Arctic operations.
How NATO Is Responding
In response to growing concerns about Arctic and undersea security, NATO has strengthened deterrence and coordination in the region. Joint Force Command Norfolk in Virginia recently centralized alliance Arctic operations under a single command to improve planning and defense across Europe, the High North and approaches to North America.
Danish troops practice during a military drill in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, in September 2025. President Donald Trump has insisted the U.S. must take control of Greenland for national security reasons.
The alliance is expanding Arctic surveillance, upgrading infrastructure and logistics, and increasing the number of forces trained to operate in extreme, cold-weather conditions — including deployments and exercises in partner countries such as Sweden.
Grynkewich emphasized that most Arctic nations are NATO members: seven of the eight Arctic states belong to the alliance, with Russia the notable exception.
Key takeaway: The Arctic is becoming a focus of strategic competition; mapping and undersea activity by rival states can yield military advantages, prompting NATO to consolidate command and boost surveillance, logistics and Arctic-capable forces.
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