WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Navy secretary has hinted at sending a group of ships to the Arctic this summer to reinforce the country's presence in the polar area.
Arctic sea ice has been steadily receding due to global warming. As a result, more navigable areas and new shipping routes are opening up for exploration.
The U.S. Navy has been in the Arctic regularly since the 1960s, but most of that presence has been with submarines or patrol aircraft rather than with warships on the sea, said Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer at a gathering hosted by Washington-based think tank the Center for a New American Security on Jan. 8, according to the United States Naval Institute's (USNI's) website.
With three potential trans-Arctic routes potentially opening up, the Navy's discussion about Arctic presence has changed dramatically in the past two years, he was quoted by USNI as saying.
"As an example, this summer, the (chief of naval operations) and I have talked about having some ships make the transit in the Arctic. It's going to be a multi-service task -- I think you'll see the Coast Guard involved," he said.
"We're just fleshing it out right now. But what is the purpose of that? We have to learn what it's like to operate in that environment," he added.
Noting increased Russian activity in the Arctic region in the name of search and rescue capability, Spencer said that "I guess we should be up there looking for search and rescue too."
