(SitNews) Washington, D.C. - During an Armed Services Committee hearing today on the Department of Defense’s FY16 budget request, Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) was told about Russia’s plans to attempt to militarize and dominate the Arctic.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey said that of the six new Russia brigades being activated, four of them will be in the Arctic.

Given Russia’s plans in the Arctic, Senator Sullivan questioned the wisdom of the possible removal of one or both U.S. Army Brigade Combat teams (BCT) from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Ft. Wainwright in Alaska.

“We have a 13 page paper, the Russians are putting major, major troops and infrastructure in the Arctic – does that concern you, and should we be looking at removing brigade combat teams, our only airborne brigade in the Pacific?” Senator Sullivan asked both General Dempsey and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter.

Secretary Carter agreed that the Arctic is going to be a place of growing strategic importance, and that Russia, among other threatening countries, is watching our actions closely. He said that he worries about “our foes being encouraged or heartened when they see us debate whether we should spend enough money on our defense.”

After the hearing, Senator Sullivan further commented on Secretary Carter’s testimony.

“That we would even contemplate taking one soldier away from Alaska is lunacy given Putin’s recent actions in the Arctic,” Sen. Sullivan said “Alaska’s Army BCTs are the best cold-weather and mountain-hardened BCTs in the country. The training makes them uniquely valuable to the U.S. Army and their presence in Alaska hopefully ensures that other nation’s never make us use them.”

On the Web:

To watch Sen. Sullivan question Secretary of Defense & General Dempsey, CLICK HERE.

Edited by Mary Kauffman, SitNews

Source of News: 

Office of U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan
www.sullivan.senate.gov

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