The Arctic is undergoing profound geological change at a dizzying pace. The Wilson Center’s Polar Institute is proud to present a new program series about the international and local implications of this new Arctic to an Alaskan audience who are most directly affected.

The series, The Arctic and US National Security, will air Monday, April 8 through Friday, April 12 on GCI Channel 907, starting at 8 p.m. each day.

Viewers who tune in will hear from the Polar Institute’s director Dr. Michael Sfraga, US Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Karl L. Schultz, and a variety of local, state, national, and private sector leaders.

Globally, eyes are looking north as sea ice continues its decline in the Arctic. Russia is expanding its commercial and military presence along the Northern Sea Route; China is increasingly active as they advance their “Polar Silk Road” strategy; and non-Arctic states are increasingly engaged in the region. This new and dynamic Arctic presents pressing challenges and opportunities for the United States as it addresses its newest ocean landscape — a fourth national and open coastline.

GCI and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington DC — the nation’s non-partisan policy think tank — have partnered to bring this important discussion to Alaskans. 

“As the Arctic grows more prominent on the geopolitical and economic landscapes, it’s more important than ever that we keep the residents of the nation’s only Arctic state informed,” said GCI Federal Regulatory Attorney Tim Stelzig. “As Alaska’s premier Arctic telecommunications provider, GCI works to elevate the dialogue between those who live in the Arctic and those looking to the Arctic for opportunity.”