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Theyalsoservedasthebasistoadvocatefor futureresourcesandcapabilities.Forexample, DODhasarobustpresenceinmanypopulated areasoftheworld,butitdoesnothaveanArctic maritime or terrestrial presence at this time. AnyU.S.Arcticresponsecapabilitywillcome fromDODandCoastGuardfacilitiessouthof the Arctic Circle. ➜ 20% of US Territory ➜ Five times the coastline Limited Capacity for Arctic SAR Ops ThreemainfactorscomplicateArcticSARoperations: This graphic illustrates how substantial the size of Alaska is when placed over a map of the lower 48 states. All graphics courtesy of Joint Task Force-Alaska, Alaskan Command, and the U.S. Air Force. fightsalongthesepolarrouteshaveincreasedfrom 884in2003to9,658in2010. InresponsetothisincreasedArcticactivity,theU.S. NorthernCommandexecutedanumberoftabletop exercisesincludingArtemis Polaris and Fervent Glacier, aswellasanArcticcollaborativeworkshopexercise,a largeArcticcommandpostexercise,andafeldtrainingexercise.TheseexerciseschallengedUSNORTHCOM'sabilitytorespondtoemergencyorcatastrophic events in the Arctic, and involved inland and maritimesearchandrescue(SAR),oilspillresponse,and othersupportscenarios. • severeenvironmentalconditions, • vastdistances,and • xtremelylimitedresourcesandinfrastruce ture. Arctic conditions require a rapid response tosurvivors,yetthedistancesinvolvedmakethat responseverydiffcult.Searchandrescueresources andinfrastructureareexceptionallyscarceinnorthernAlaska,whichcompoundstheresponseissue. Whilethecombinedeffortsoffederal,state,local, andindustrypartnershavedoneanadmirablejobof conductinglimitedSARoperationsinthisinhospitableregion,theU.S.isnotpreparedorposturedto respondtoamassrescueeventintheArctic. RecognizingtheU.S.ArcticSARresourcedefciency andacknowledgingtheeventualnecessityofamass rescueevent,basedontheprogressiveincreasein Arcticactivity,theU.S.mustdecidewhatlevelofArcticSARresponseitdesiresfortheregion.Currently, oncethelimitedU.S.capabilityisexceeded,theonly optiontoflltheneedisabilateralassistancerequest toCanadaorRussia. Initiatives to increase Arctic SAR capability and northerninfrastructureareindevelopment;however, maintainingmomentumfortheseeffortsischallenginginthecurrentfscalenvironment.Arealisticway aheadtoachieveanyadvancementintheseinitiatives ispartnershipamongfederalagencies(USNORTHCOM,USCG),thestateofAlaska,andindustryoperating in the region. Via the "polar route," it would take approximately the same amount of fight time to travel from Elmendorf AFB to Asia and Europe, as it would from Elmendorf AFB to the lower United States. 66 Proceedings Summer 2013 Domain Awareness and a Common Operating Picture TherearecertainlychallengesforanaccuratecommonoperatingpicturewithinUSNORTHCOM'sarea ofresponsibility,butthegreatestchallengelieswithin Arcticdomainawareness.TheArcticrequiresreliablebeyondline-of-sightcommunicationsinextreme www.uscg.mil/proceedings