Arctic Intelligence War

[Детективное агентство ИКС-Инфо.]

The struggle for oil is not only in Libya. Another hot spot on the planet threatens to become the cold Arctic. Until shots rattle there and bombs fall. But in the midst of a quiet war of intelligence.

Paradise for "sons" is over
Ivan Ivanovich, an analyst with a Russian intelligence agency, worked in his Norwegian capital as a young man. Colleagues knew that he came to Oslo not only because of his knowledge of the Norwegian language (and in intelligence he is considered rare), but also thanks to the connections of his father-general. Many graduates of the 101st reconnaissance school dreamed of being enrolled in the North European Department, and were distributed there mainly by pull.
Why is it bad to live five years in a calm country, moreover, with the highest standard of living in the world? It is now the “breiviks” who are blowing up government buildings there and killing young people in batches, and then the king and the prime minister walked the streets without security.
The north of Europe for intelligence in those days was considered a bear angle. It was quiet and peaceful and there were no significant world events. Oslo is not Washington, not New York, where the main enemy was located. And not even Vienna and Geneva - the universally recognized spy capitals. Scandinavia was not in vain considered a paradise for “sons”. The most comfortable northern peninsula, washed by the warm Gulf Stream.
And the bosses didn’t particularly require work results. Intelligence management was able to convince that in Norway the most fierce counterintelligence. Like, in Oslo they catch us on every little thing. Diplomats are declared persona non grata and are immediately expelled. Then they inflate the universal scandal in the newspapers. Therefore, it is better not to show special intelligence.
Of course, if you beat the buck, you can’t make a career. That’s why even the general’s sons didn’t sybaritize, but spent hours piling over reports to the Center. Diligent Ivan recruiting agents preferred working with open sources of information. According to him, he shoveled almost all the Norwegian media. Over time, he became a good analyst. True, he did not reach the general's stripes, but he became a colonel. And he doesn’t envy Sergei Borisovich Ivanov, a former colleague from the Finnish residency - sinecure, who, thanks to his friendship with Putin, has reached much greater career heights. And sincerely sympathizes with the current scouts from the northern countries.
- The guys now have neither weekends nor walk-throughs. And there’s no time to drink beer. - Ivan Ivanovich opens the laptop. - Look, what a fight flares up for Arctic hydrocarbons.
Help "AN"
Thanks to global warming and the rapid melting of Arctic ice, previously inaccessible areas open up for fishing, transporting goods and mining on the shelf. To date, more than 20 large oil and gas fields have been identified in the Arctic. According to estimates by the RF Ministry of Natural Resources, 15.5 billion tons of oil and 84.5 trillion have already been explored in high latitudes. cubic meters of gas. Fish resources are increasing. Sailing along the Northern Sea Route is becoming longer, the importance of which is constantly growing as the shortest route from Europe to Asia and vice versa. From St. Petersburg to Vladivostok it is about 14.3 thousand kilometers, while through the Suez Canal - 23.2 thousand kilometers. From Hamburg (Germany) to Yokohama (Japan) along the Northern Sea Route - 12 thousand kilometers, and through the Suez Canal - 20.5 thousand kilometers. Such a difference in distances saves ships 10–13 days of travel and saves up to 300 thousand dollars on each voyage. And there are no Somali pirates. Cold.
The third world will begin in 2013?
A message appeared on the computer screen: “Canadian Government Advisor Robert Hubert said that last year the situation in the Arctic looked the same as in Europe in 1935, when the flags of the Third Reich were already flying over Germany. Then the matter ended in World War II. It cannot be ruled out even now. ”
“I think the mess in the North will begin in two or three years,” the colonel again glanced at the screen. - It is believed that the Arctic hides in its bowels more than 20% of the world's oil and gas reserves. By 2013
Arctic countries must submit their arguments and evidence on the underwater shelf to the United Nations. And here disputes can easily develop into armed conflicts. They, like lit matches brought to the gas, will blow up the world.
Ivan Ivanovich found a new document in his laptop. This is US National Security Directive No. 66. In it, in particular, it says: “The United States of America has broad and fundamental interests of national security in the Arctic region, and they are ready to defend these interests both independently and in cooperation with other states. Among these interests are issues such as missile defense and early warning; Deployment of maritime and aviation systems for strategic maritime transport; strategic containment; marine presence; maritime security operations; ensuring freedom of navigation and aviation. ”
Following the Americans, the British are also seeking Arctic ice. Recently, a joint report of the ministries of defense and foreign affairs of that country, “The Strategic Importance of the Arctic for Great Britain,” was published in London. It says that the increasing body of water as the glaciers melt will create a “new territorial front” and significantly reduce the time it takes to transport goods by sea, and Britain will be drawn into conflicts related to the support of allied states. One of the upcoming problems, the report calls "the advanced deployment of surface ships in previously inaccessible areas or the military presence in the disputed territorial waters."
Already, there is a debate about the underwater shelf. Thus, Denmark insists that the Lomonosov Ridge is actually a continuation of its territory. In August 2007, this country conducted its own Arctic research mission to collect data for submission of a proposal to the UN. As expected, Danish experts came to conclusions that were directly opposite to the Russian ones: the Lomonosov Ridge, which runs under the North Pole, is a continuation of the North American and Greenland tectonic plates, and not the Eurasian plate, as Moscow says.
As in Libya, in the fight for Arctic oil, NATO is pharise. In Reykjavik, the so-called NATO seminar on the prospects for security in the High North was held. The seminar was attended by the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces in Europe, as well as the Supreme Commander of the NATO Transformation Command. The issues of defense were discussed. Let me ask: from whom? From polar bears?
“And here is my beloved Norway,” Ivan Ivanovich moves the “mouse” of the computer. - Read it.
“Norway transferred the headquarters of its operational command from Stavanger to the polar Reitan, to the north of the country.
Eight countries of the Nordic Council (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Greenland, the Faroe and Aland Islands) decided to create a joint Northern Battle Group (Nordic Battle Group). It included 1,600 troops from Sweden, 250 from Finland, 150 from Iceland and 100 each from Estonia and Norway. The headquarters of the group is located in Sweden. "
“Let not a small number of military men embarrass,” the colonel looks at the screen. “This is just an advanced squad.” As they say, flowers. Berries ripen in a couple of years.
Our answer is late
Intelligence reports resemble reports from so far not warring fronts. Much, like in Libya, is hidden behind a fog of frank “disinformation”. But now one thing is clear: the West is sharply increasing spending on various Arctic projects. And our authorities are again late and greedy. According to sources close to the Russian government, spending on the development of the Arctic may reach $ 195 million annually in the next few years. But this is clearly not enough. And in a few years it will be too late.
Demand Siberia and the Northern Sea Route
The Russian North and the Arctic do not let the West sleep peacefully. Madeleine Albright, being the US Secretary of State, said: "Since Siberia belongs to one country, there is no need to speak of any higher justice." She is echoed by Zbigniew Brzezinski: "A new world order will be built against Russia, on the ruins of Russia and at the expense of Russia." As a first step, Washington has already begun talking about the need to internationalize the Northern Sea Route, which takes place in Russian territorial waters.
As a sensation, Moscow issued news that it decided to acquire Arctic special forces on the Kola Peninsula. The 200th separate Pechenga motorized rifle brigade was taken as the basis of the new military formation. Rumor has it that the airborne troops will also be widely involved in the planned exercises in the Arctic. Measures are being taken to strengthen the combat strength of the Northern Fleet. In any case, the first multi-purpose nuclear submarine of the new generation Severodvinsk, which is being quickly completed in the city of the same name, is supposed to be included in the combat structure of the North Sea. The successful August test of the long-suffering "Mace" also inspires some optimism.
However, fanfare sounds early. In the Arctic, Russia is now inferior not only to NATO countries, but even to heat-loving China. No wonder intelligence is sounding the alarm.
Alexander Kondrashov
East. argumenti.ru

 

[Матушкин Андрей Николаевич]

Thanks for working on the forum.

 

[Детективное агентство. Москва. Арбат.]

A well-known and very interesting topic for me - I defended a dissertation on it)))

 

[Матушкин Андрей Николаевич]

A well-known and very interesting topic for me - I defended a dissertation on it)))

Thanks for working on the forum. +1

 

[Lary]

The aspiration of the USSR in 1976 looms from this article. Thanks to the cool stuff.

 

[Детективное агентство ИКС-Инфо.]

The aspiration of the USSR in 1976 looms from this article. Thanks to the cool stuff.

Not at all - smoke further ...