Rethinking Arctic Security: Centering Communities in a Changing North

As global attention increasingly turns toward the Arctic, conversations around sovereignty, geopolitics, and security are becoming more visible. Yet for many Northern communities, the most immediate and pressing challenges are not defined solely by international tensions, but by the realities of everyday life in a rapidly changing environment.

Dr. Kari Roberts, Chair of the Department of Economics, Justice and Policy Studies at Mount Royal University and co-lead of the North American Arctic Defense and Security Network (NAADSN), is working to ensure that these community realities are part of how Arctic security is understood and addressed. Through NAADSN, which is funded by the Canadian Department of National Defense, researchers are providing policy advice on issues affecting Northern Canada, while also working to bring together governments, scholars, and communities.

While much public discourse around Arctic security focuses on geopolitical tensions, including Russia’s activities in the region, Roberts emphasizes the importance of understanding the broader context of how these issues intersect with the lives of people who call the Arctic home.

“Russia is the largest Arctic nation. There are 2.5 million Russians who live in the Russian Arctic. Russia has major industrial cities in the Arctic. The Russian Northern Sea Route is critical to Russia's energy dominance. It is critical to its economic growth, future, and strength. It is critical in terms of its geopolitical positioning,” Roberts says.

This perspective helps inform policymakers, but it also highlights how deeply interconnected the Arctic is (not just politically, but socially and economically). For communities across the North, these dynamics shape everything from infrastructure and development to access to resources and services.

However, Roberts stresses that the most significant and immediate threats facing Arctic communities extend beyond geopolitics. Climate change, she explains, is fundamentally reshaping the region and the conditions under which people live.

“In the public domain, we don't frame climate change as a security problem. Security tends to be this hard, military focus. How do we ensure our security, whether the threats come from the Russians or from the American president’s rhetoric about Canada becoming the 51st state? But climate change represents a serious challenge to Northern communities. And this has been the main focus of our network.”

For Northern communities, the impacts are already being felt. Rising temperatures, melting ice, and shifting ecosystems are affecting food security, transportation, infrastructure, and traditional ways of life. These changes are not abstract as they directly influence health, livelihoods, and cultural continuity.

Through its work, NAADSN is helping to reframe Arctic security as a holistic issue that includes environmental, social, and community dimensions alongside traditional defense concerns. Importantly, the network works to bring together federal, territorial, and Indigenous partners to identify shared challenges and develop responses grounded in lived experience.

This approach reflects a growing recognition that effective policy cannot be developed without the meaningful involvement of the people most affected. As Roberts emphasizes, ensuring that Northern and Indigenous communities are not only consulted but actively involved in shaping solutions is essential to building resilience in the North.

Through broadening the definition of security to include climate, community wellbeing, and local knowledge, this work is helping shift the conversation toward more inclusive and responsive approaches that better reflect the realities of life in the Arctic and support the long-term sustainability of its communities.