Conclusion 52

However, witnesses saw a significant risk that the Arctic could become another front in a war originating elsewhere between Russia and NATO. Russian military thinking does not perceive the Arctic as a distinct theatre of operations that is insulated from points of tension in the Baltic, Atlantic or Black Sea. 52 Dr Duncan Depledge, Lecturer in Geopolitics and Security at Loughborough University, and Lt Commander Dr John Ash, Associate Professor at the University of Tromsø, both noted that historically most major conflicts in Europe have included an Arctic element, and that any regional conflict between NATO and Russia would likely spill over into the Arctic. 53