Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. ,chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Credit: U.S. Airforce)

By Gary Raynaldo     –  DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. visited Iceland Wednesday and met with defense leaders to discuss artic security amid rising Russia and China cooperation in the region. Gen. Brown conferred with his counterparts from Iceland, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden as part of this year’s Arctic Chiefs of Defense meeting in Keflavik. The Department of Defense (DOD) in July released its 2024 DOD Arctic Strategy which highlighted increasing collaboration in the region between Russia and China including joint military exercises.  Brown also met with U.S. Navy rotational forces in Keflavik during his two-day visit. “We are seeing more and more activity where Russia and China are working together, and the Arctic is the most recent area we’re seeing,” Brown said ahead of the high-level talks. “It’s something we all need to be paying attention to.”   The DOD Arctic strategy calls for the U.S. to deter “malign activities” by Russia and China in the region.  “The U.S. has long recognized the Arctic as a linchpin to homeland defense,” the Pentagon said in a statement. “During the Cold War, the Arctic served as an avenue of approach for Soviet bombers and missiles in the event of an attack on the U.S.”   The Pentagon’s new strategy also calls for more exercises with NATO allies, building up defenses and providing better equipment and training.