Arctic Security Highlights

Ernie Regehr, Senior Fellow in Arctic Security and Defence, received the Canadians for a Nuclear Weapons Convention (CNWC) 2024 Distinguished Achievement Award at an event presented by CNWC and the Centre for International Policy Studies, University of Ottawa. See the links below for a transcript and video of his keynote lecture exploring Canada’s role in Arctic security.

We are pleased to share the notice of this public lecture by Ernie Regehr, O.C., The Simons Foundation Canada's Senior Fellow in Arctic Security and Defence. All are welcome to attend (in person or online).

This report by Ernie Regehr, O.C., Senior Fellow in Arctic Security and Defence at The Simons Foundation Canada, and Kelsey Gallagher, a Researcher with Project Ploughshares, identifies 69 continuously staffed Arctic military sites in the five states with Arctic Ocean coastlines and discusses the challenges of reducing strategic tensions and recovering diplomacy. As Canada’s first northern indigenous Governor General, Mary Simon, has reminded all Arctic states, there is a need “to figure out how [they] can continue working together when a terrible war is going on [which is] contradictory to the rules-based international order.”

This conference was held to address the question: How can we engage Russia in the shared pursuit of pan-Arctic security, stability, and cooperation, while still holding it to account for its egregious violation of international law in invading Ukraine? The Simons Foundation Canada was a co-sponsor of the conference and Ernie Regehr, O.C., Senior Fellow in Arctic Security and Defence, was Chair of the Arctic Security panel. See the link below to access the full conference report and Ernie Regehr's introductory comments on pages 19-21.

See The Simons Foundation Canada's Arctic Security Briefing Papers for information on military policies and practices in the Arctic region by Ernie Regehr O.C., Senior Fellow in Arctic Security and Defence at The Simons Foundation Canada.

See The Simons Foundation Canada's Arctic Security Briefing Papers for information on military policies and practices in the Arctic region by Ernie Regehr O.C., Senior Fellow in Arctic Security and Defence at The Simons Foundation Canada.

See The Simons Foundation Canada's Arctic Security Briefing Papers for information on military policies and practices in the Arctic region by Ernie Regehr O.C., Senior Fellow in Arctic Security and Defence at The Simons Foundation Canada.

See The Simons Foundation Canada's Arctic Security Briefing Papers for information on military policies and practices in the Arctic region by Ernie Regehr O.C., Senior Fellow in Arctic Security and Defence at The Simons Foundation Canada.

See The Simons Foundation Canada's Arctic Security Briefing Papers for information on military policies and practices in the Arctic region by Ernie Regehr O.C., Senior Fellow in Arctic Security and Defence at The Simons Foundation Canada.

This issue is debated in the current Legion Magazine with The Simons Foundation Canada's Senior Fellow in Arctic Security and Defence, Ernie Regehr, arguing the “No” side and David Bercuson, of the University of Calgary’s Centre for Military, Security, and Strategic Studies, arguing “Yes.” Regehr notes that with today’s increasingly accessible Arctic, and Russia being its most prominent military presence, the question of boosting Canada’s Arctic military operations is a prudent one, but context matters. Visit Legion Magazine at the following link to view the view the full debate.