Summary

Canada’s Operation Nanook (Feb-Mar 2025) deployed 650 personnel above the Arctic Circle to assert sovereignty in the increasingly contested frozen north.

The operation comes as Russia and China show growing interest in the region’s newly accessible shipping lanes and vast mineral resources due to climate change.

Recent developments include Canada’s $8.6M purchase of a strategic hangar after Chinese and Russian interest, and a promised $2.5B investment in northern military hubs.

The exercise revealed logistical challenges and infrastructure needs as Defense Minister Bill Blair warned that “climate change is enticing adversarial nations to engage in heightened competition” in this strategic territory.