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<ul class="summary-list"><li>US <keyword id="4794707" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Navy-submarines">Navy submarines</keyword> have a long history of operations in the Arctic, including under the ice that covers much of the region.</li><li>Surfacing through that ice is a common feature of submarine exercises up there, but even with that experience, it's still a tricky maneuver.</li></ul>Before the Navy lets anyone drive a multibillion-dollar submarine, it makes sure they know everything there is to know about handling it. But one skill not in the regular curriculum is how to surface straight up through a heavy sheet of ice."The vertical surfacing procedure is not a technique that is part of the normal submariner's skill set," Cmdr. Cameron Aljilani, commanding officer of Seawolf-class fast-attack submarine <keyword id="9381008" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="uss-connecticut">USS Connecticut</keyword>, said during an interview at the end of May.Aljilani spoke a few months after the USS Connecticut and Los Angeles-class attack sub USS Toledo took part in Ice Exercise 2020, the latest installment of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/navy-submarine-connecticut-drills-during-icex-2020-in-the-arctic-2020-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a biennial Navy exercise meant to test the sub force's ability to operate in the harsh Arctic environment</a>.Perhaps the most well-known feature of that exercise is a sub surfacing through a layer of ice.<div type="image" title="Navy submarine Connecticut Arctic ICEX" height="630" width="840" msid="76331135" hostid="261"></div>"Normally we would ascend to periscope depth having speed in the water," Aljilani said. "Due to under-ice operations, you can't be moving forward. You have to go up at zero speed and straight to the ice. That's one thing that we would practice."Sea ice provides concealment for subs, shielding them from aircraft. But subs have to punch through that ice to communicate, launch missiles, or support surface activity like that which takes place during <keyword id="6420345" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ICEX">ICEX</keyword>.The US's three Seawolf-class subs, designed near the end of the Cold War and still considered the most capable in the Navy, have <a href="http://pugetsoundblogs.com/bremertonbeat/2015/10/21/inside-the-seawolf-9-reasons-shes-the-navys-most-capable-submarine/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a hardened sail</a> that can break through thick ice, a feature that has been included on newer Virginia-class subs, Aljilani said."Each class of submarine has the ability to service through a certain thickness of ice, and so we had to identify where the right thickness was," Aljilani said.<div type="image" title="Navy submarine Hartford Arctic ICEX" height="1042" width="1389" msid="76331137" hostid="261"></div>Subs also have different types of sonar as well as other sensors and video systems to assess ice overhead. Upward-looking sonar allows the crew to locate the ice canopy in relation to the sub and find patches of open water or areas of minimal thickness."We can tell with the sonar how far the ice protrudes down," Aljilani said. "While we can surface, there's a maximum amount of ice we can surface through. It's not good to slam your submarine through ice, and so we try to find areas of minimal thickness."Once a promising spot is found, the sub sails a cloverleaf or racetrack pattern while it figures out how big the area is and how thick the ice is there.The area "has to be of a certain size," Aljilani said. "The ship drifts with the underwater current, but also the ice drifts, so you've got two pieces that are moving ... so you have to make sure you have an area that's large enough that the submarine can surface in it and get the sail through the ice."<div type="image" title="Navy submarine Hartford Arctic ICEX" height="1482" width="2404" msid="76331139" hostid="261"></div>Once the crew finds the center of the area they want to surface in, the sub will stop, hovering as it prepares for vertical surfacing."Once we stop the ship, then we will set our compensation tanks, or trim tanks, and we'll start pumping out water to make it less buoyant and get a certain ascent rate, and we'll pop through the ice. We need a certain speed and momentum to break the ice," Aljilani said.Guidance from the National Ice Center helps subs <a href="https://futureforce.navylive.dodlive.mil/2016/03/using-ice-predictions-to-guide-submarines/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">find places</a> to break through. Arctic operations specialists from the Navy's San Diego-based Arctic Submarine Lab, the lead organization for ICEX, also provide information needed to determine where and how to surface — knowledge they acquire through years of experience on different classes of subs, Aljilani said.Arctic Submarine Lab founder Waldo Lyon <a href="https://www.defense.gov/Explore/News/Article/Article/1464840/arctic-deployed-navy-submarines-participate-in-ice-exercise-2018/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was the ice pilot</a> aboard USS Boarfish when it conducted the first transit under an ice floe on August 1, 1947. USS Skate carried out the first Arctic surfacing in March 1959.A video the Navy from ICEX 2018 shows the USS Hartford surfacing as seen from the ice:Another video from the Hartford during ICEX 2018 illustrates the surfacing process and what it's like inside the sub:Once surfaced, sailors can go onto the ice and visitors can board. Sens. Gary Peters and Tom Cotton and Reps. John Garamendi and Bill Foster were among the Connecticut's guests during ICEX 2018.This year, with the exercise taking place amid the coronavirus pandemic, health-screening protocols were put in place for people moving on and off the sub, Aljilani said.The crew also packed the sub with food and spare parts before leaving port, which facilitated <a href="https://www.militarynews.com/norfolk-navy-flagship/u-s-navy-completes-icex-2020/article_4c141cb8-6790-11ea-b602-bb7b0dc50930.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endurance tests</a> during the exercise and meant it didn't need to take on additional cargo from the base camp, which was about a mile away from where the sub surfaced.<div type="image" title="Navy submarine Connecticut Arctic ICEX polar bear" height="1333" width="1778" msid="76331141" hostid="261"></div>Under the ice, it's quiet enough for sonar on the sub to pick up a snowmobile on the ice miles away, even with the background noise caused by the movement of the ice, Aljilani said.Atop the icy expanse, "there's nothing. Just complete silence," Adam Glover, a technician and official photographer aboard USS Hartford during ICEX 2016, <a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a19681544/how-a-submarine-surfaces-through-ice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Popular Mechanics</a> in 2018.But that doesn't mean sailors don't need to be on the lookout.During an ICEX in April 2003, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20050205152340/http://www.news.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=7751" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a polar bear</a> came across the Connecticut jutting through the ice, attracted to an opportunity for food. Mark Barnoff, a scientist working nearby, was touring the Connecticut and took photos through the periscope as the bear examined the sub, gnawing on its rudder.The bear "wasn't in a rush to do anything," Barnoff <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=79482&amp;page=1ge=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told ABC News</a> in 2006. "It was on its own schedule."

How US Navy submarines carefully smash their way through Arctic ice

New Delhi, Reliance Capital's (RCAP) expression of interest (EOI) for asset monetisation garnered mega response with 60 bids being received. <keyword id="13222" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="SBI">SBI</keyword> Life and Apollo are among the 10 new bidders who have submitted expressions of interest for Reliance Capital's assets, taking the total number of bids to 60. December 1 was earlier the deadline for the submission of EOIs. Over 60 different bids have been received with SBI Capital Markets Limited and JM Financial Services Limited, the advisors to the lenders. Later the date for submitting the bids was extended to December 17. Over eight bidders have bid for entire RCAP assets on an as-is-where-is basis. The prominent among them are Oaktree, J.C. Flower and multiple ARCs. For Reliance General Insurance, which is owned 100% by RCAP, there are 18 bidders and prominent among them are, Chryscap, J.C. Flower, Blackstone, KKR, CVC Capital Partners, and Bain Capital. For Reliance Nippon Life Insurance, in which RCAP owns 51% controlling stake, has received 16 bids, including Bain Capital, NIIF, Arpwood Partners, Dabur Investments, Bandhan Bank, and <keyword id="884924" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Multiples-Asset-Management">Multiples Asset Management</keyword> among others. For Reliance Securities, there are eight bidders, including Bain Capital, Religare Broking, Edelweiss Securities and other ARCs. For Reliance ARC, there are six bidders, including Bain Capital, International Asset Reconstruction Company and other ARCs. For Reliance Health, there are eight bidders - Blackstone, Bain Capital, Arpwood Partners, and other ARCs. There are also multiple bidders for RCAP's stake in ICEX and Paytm E-commerce business. Reliance Capital asset monetization process, to unlock value of its underlying businesses and to make RCAP debt free, was launched on October 31, 2020. The monetization process being run under the aegis of Committee of Debenture Holders and <keyword id="10477607" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-debenture-trustee-vistra-itcl-india-ltd">the Debenture Trustee Vistra ITCL India Ltd</keyword> - which represents 93% of total outstanding debt of Reliance Capital. EOIs were invited for all or part of RCL's stake in the following key subsidiaries and assets individually or in any combination thereof. This includes 100% stake in Reliance General Insurance Company Limited (RGI). It has a paid up capital of Reliance General Insurance is ₹252 crore as of September 30, 2020. It is the 4th largest <keyword id="10477608" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="private-general-insurance-company">Private General Insurance Company</keyword> with market share of 4.5% as of March 2020 in the General Insurance category. It has shown consistent growth in AUM Year-on-Year with investment book of ₹12,315 crore as on September 30, 2020. The company performed its best even during COVID times with Gross Direct Premium Income of ₹4,501 crore during the first six months of FY20- 21. It has a strong distribution network of 134 branches with amongst largest agency force of 46,742 as of September 30, 2020 across the country. Bids have been invited for 51% stake in <keyword id="10203731" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="reliance-nippon-life-insurance-company-limited">Reliance Nippon Life Insurance Company Limited</keyword> (RNLI). The paid up capital of Reliance Nippon Life Insurance is ₹1196 Cr. as of September 30, 2020. RNLI is a joint Venture with Japan's largest life insurer - Nippon Life which holds 49 % shareholding. It is the 10th largest <keyword id="10203730" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="private-sector-insurer">Private Sector Insurer</keyword> (in terms of Individual WRP) and amongst largest Non-Banca company with a network of 717 offices. It witnessed sharp turnaround in performance during FY19-20 with a profit after tax of ₹35 crore and 75% growth (12% CAGR) in embedded value over last four years. It has an impressive claim settlement ratio of 98.1% in FY19-20 and a higher Solvency ratio of 207% (as against regulatory requirement of 150%). As on September 30, 2020, the AUM was ₹21,912 crore and an individual premium market share of 2.20% amongst private insurers. Bids have been invited for 100% stake in Reliance Securities Limited - Broking &amp; distribution company offering services across asset classes including equities, commodities, derivatives, currency, mutual funds, bonds and corporate FDs. Also on offer is a 100% stake in Reliance Financial Limited - RBI registered NBFC, engaged in the business of financing, money lending, capital market linked financing activities, 49% stake in Reliance Asset Reconstruction Limited which manages portfolio of ₹1,996 crore as on September 30, 2020. A 20% stake in Indian Commodity Exchange is also being bid. Other key shareholders in ICEX are Central Warehousing Corporation, MMTC Limited, Indiabulls Housing Finance Limited, Indian Potash Limited and Bajaj Holdings and Investments. ICEX is a SEBI regulated commodity derivatives exchange. There is also 100% stake in Reliance Health Insurance Limited. Other PE investments like Naffa Innovations Private Limited, Paytm E-Commerce Private Limited. RCL's key businesses and subsidiaries are performing well and business will continue as usual. The management, professional team, customer and partners will be unaffected by the proposed asset monetisation programme of RCAP. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stocks-to-watch-spicejet-interglobe-aviation-tata-motors-pfizer-asian-paints-niit-lupin-and-others/articleshow/79849749.cms">Top stocks to watch – SpiceJet, InterGlobe Aviation, Tata Motors, Pfizer, Asian Paints, NIIT, Lupin, and others</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/how-to-check-mrs-bectors-food-specialities-ipo-allotment-status-online/articleshow/79808672.cms?upcache=2">Mrs Bectors Food Specialities IPO allotment today: Here’s how to check share allotment status</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/google-microsoft-invest-in-dailyhunt-for-its-short-video-platform-josh-making-it-the-latest-unicorn-in-india/articleshow/79850804.cms">Google, Microsoft invest in DailyHunt for its short video platform Josh – making it the latest unicorn in India</a>

Reliance Capital asset sale: SBI Life and Apollo join the race, nearly 70 bids received so far

New Delhi, <keyword id="6360090" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="reliance-capital">Reliance Capital</keyword> (RCAP) debenture holders at their meeting held on January 5, passed the resolution with overwhelming majority for <keyword id="1187112" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="monetisation">monetisation</keyword> of its <keyword id="41933" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="assets">assets</keyword>. This comes on the back of shareholders having already approved RCAP monetisation. Reliance Capital had commenced its asset monetisation process - to unlock value of its underlying businesses which targets to make RCAP debt free. JM Financial Services Limited and SBI Capital Markets Limited ran an independent and transparent asset monetizsation process. Expression of interest for nine key assets was launched on October 31, 2020. EOI process received massive response for the nine key assets as multiple players have placed interest for each asset with some of them also expressing interest in all the assets. EOI applicants would now perform due diligence on each asset and submit binding bids for the nine key assets. Asset monetisation process is being run under the aegis of Committee of Debenture Holders and the Debenture Trustee Vistra ITCL India Ltd, which represents 93% of total outstanding debt of Reliance Capital. EOIs invited for all or part of RCL's stake in the following key subsidiaries and assets individually or in any combination thereof: 1. 100 per cent stake in <keyword id="157626" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reliance-General-Insurance">Reliance General Insurance</keyword> Company Limited (RGI). Paid up capital of Reliance General Insurance is ₹252 crore as of September 30, 2020. It is the fifth largest Private General Insurance Company with a market share of 4.5% as of March 20 in the Private General Insurance category. Consistent growth in AUM Year-on-Year with investment book of ₹12,315 crore as on September 30, 2020. Performed its best even during Covid times with Gross Direct Premium Income of ₹4,501 crore during the first six months of FY20-21. Strong distribution network of 134 branches with amongst one of the largest agency force of 46,742 as of September 30, 2020 across the country. 2. 51% stake in Reliance Nippon Life Insurance Company Limited (RNLI). Paid up capital of Reliance Nippon LifeInsurance is ₹1,196 crore as of September 30, 2020. RNLI is a joint <keyword id="6388493" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="venture">Venture</keyword> with Japan's largest life insurer - Nippon Life which holds 49% shareholding. It is the 10th largest Private Sector Insurer (in terms of Individual WRP) and amongst largest Non-Banca company with a network of 717 offices. Witnessed sharp turnaround in performance during FY19-20 with a profit after tax of Rs 35 crore and 75 per cent growth (12% CAGR) in Embedded Value over last four years. Impressive claim settlement ratio of 98.1% in FY19-20 and a higher Solvency ratio of 207% (as against regulatory requirement of 150%). As on September 30, 2020, the AUM was ₹21,912 crore. and an Individual Premium Market Share of 2.20% amongst private insurers. 3. 100% stake in Reliance Securities Limited - Broking and distribution company offering services across asset classes including equities, commodities, derivatives, currency, mutual funds, bonds and corporate FDs. 4. 100% stake in Reliance Financial Limited - RBI registered NBFC, engaged in the business of financing, money lending, capital market linked financing activities. 5. 49% stake in Reliance Asset Reconstruction Limited:  Manages portfolio of ₹1,996 crore as on September 30, 2020. Over 3.3 lakh customers across retail and SME segment, with dominant retail presence in South and West region. 6. 20 per cent stake in Indian Commodity Exchange. Other key shareholders in ICEX are Central Warehousing Corporation, MMTC Limited, <keyword id="6363556" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="indiabulls">Indiabulls</keyword> Housing Finance Limited, Indian Potash Limited and Bajaj Holdings and Investments. ICEX is a SEBI regulated commodity derivatives exchange. 7. 100 per cent stake in Reliance Health Insurance Limited. 8. Other PE investments like Naffa Innovations Private Limited, Paytm E-Commerce Private Limited. RCL's key businesses and subsidiaries are performing well and business will continue as usual. The management, professional team, customer and partners will be unaffected by the proposed asset monetisation programme of RCAP. Resolution of Lending businesses of RCAP - <keyword id="857313" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reliance-Home-Finance">Reliance Home Finance</keyword> and <keyword id="3646337" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reliance-Commercial-Finance">Reliance Commercial Finance</keyword>. Reliance Home Finance (RHF) and Reliance Commercial Finance (RCF) are undergoing resolution under RBI circular dated June 7, 2019. Bank of Baroda is the lead banker under the ICA resolution process of both the lending entities. The transactions for both RCF and RHF are expected to be closed by March 31, 2021. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/india-may-be-considering-a-covid-cess-on-high-income-earners-aside-from-more-levy-on-fuel/articleshow/80208520.cms">India may be considering a COVID cess on high income earners — aside from more levy on fuel</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/with-whatsapp-popularity-hit-zoho-plans-to-launch-arattai-messaging-app/articleshow/80206802.cms">Zoho plans to woo WhatsApp defectors with its own messaging app Arattai</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/2021-will-be-a-watershed-moment-for-india-tech-ecosystem-here-are-the-startup-sectors-that-vcs-are-betting-on/articleshow/80208631.cms">‘2021 will be a watershed moment for India’s tech ecosystem’ — here are the startup sectors that VCs are betting on</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/gadgets/news/oneplus-band-with-24-hour-heart-rate-monitoring-14-days-battery-life-launched-in-india/articleshow/80209025.cms">OnePlus Band with 24-hour heart rate monitoring, 14 days battery life launched in India</a>

Reliance Capital debenture holders pave the way for asset monetisation

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Two Russian reconnaissance planes were intercepted off the coast of Alaska by US and Canadian aircraft on Monday.</li><li>The Russian planes didn't enter US airspace, but video shows them lingering over a US submarine exercise in the Arctic.</li><li>That flight illustrates the strategic importance of the Arctic, and the top US commander for North America told lawmakers on Wednesday that more needs to be done to ensure the military can operate there.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>Two Russian Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance aircraft <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-canadian-jets-intercept-russian-reconnaissance-planes-near-alaska-2020-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">were intercepted by US and Canadian aircraft</a> as they entered the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone off the coast of Alaska on Monday.The Russian aircraft were in the ADIZ north of Alaska for about 4 hours, according to North American Aerospace Defense Command, which said the planes came as close as 50 nautical miles to the Alaskan coast but did not enter US or Canadian airspace.The ADIZ extends <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-canadian-british-jets-intercept-russian-aircraft-alaska-uk-estonia-2019-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">200 miles</a> from the US and Canadian coasts, but territorial airspace only extends 12 miles from the coast.The Russian aircraft didn't just cruise over open ocean, however. According to US officials, the reconnaissance planes and their escorts lingered over Camp Sea Dragon, which was set up on an ice floe by US Navy personnel for the Arctic submarine exercise ICEX 2020."We saw just yesterday … we had a Russian bomber 60 miles [sic] off the coast of Alaska, operating in one of our ICEX exercises we have where our subs actually pop up out of the ice," Air Force Gen. Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, head of US Northern Command, told the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday."The camp established for that, they were loitering about 2,500 feet above that," O'Shaughnessy said.The video below, released by NORAD, shows the Russian aircraft over the camp with their US and Canadian minders.Intercepts of Russian aircraft by US and Canadian planes over the Arctic happen regularly, but this incident underscored the need to monitor and respond in the region, O'Shaughnessy told lawmakers."They were loitering with an F-22 and an F-18 on their wing," O'Shaughnessy said. "So we have to maintain the ability to be able to react appropriately not just for strategic messaging … but potentially in the future to actually defeat any threats."While the reasons for this flight are not known, such operations - by both the US and Russia - are sometimes meant to gather information about a country's air-defense network and to map and collect signals intelligence, which inform an "order of battle" for potential use in the future, according to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-canadian-british-jets-intercept-russian-aircraft-alaska-uk-estonia-2019-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Aviationist</a>.Those flights happen periodically as the electronic order of battle is changed frequently for operational security.In this case, the operation may have been doubly valuable, as the Russian reconnaissance aircraft could have been trying to gather electronic intelligence on the US subs - Seawolf-class fast-attack sub USS Connecticut and Los Angeles-class fast-attack sub USS Toledo - that are taking part in ICEX, a three-week-long exercise featuring multiple Arctic transits, a North Pole surfacing, and other training.<h2>Fast forwarding in the Arctic</h2>The Arctic has been a growing area of concern for the US military.The Marine Corps and Navy have spent more time in the European Arctic, with Marines deploying on rotations to Norway since 2017 and an aircraft carrier sailing above the Arctic Circle for the first time since the 1990s during the massive NATO exercise Trident Juncture in 2018.Alaska already hosts US military bases, including Eielson Air Force Base, which will receive two squadrons of F-35s <a href="https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2019/06/02/alaska-communities-prepare-for-incoming-f-35-squadrons-at-eielson-air-force-base/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">totalling 54 aircraft</a> this year. Alaska Command also recently conducted <a href="https://www.norad.mil/Newsroom/Article/2104838/arctic-edge-2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arctic Edge 20</a>, a military exercise conducted under the authority of US Northern Command. About 1,000 US military personnel worked with members of the Canadian military, making it the largest joint exercise in Alaska this year.Alaska's location is strategically important, but the conditions up there are a challenge. "We need to be able to operate in that environment," O'Shaughnessy told lawmakers Wednesday.The US military is "very good at … projecting power," O'Shaughnessy said, but "you cannot deploy to the Arctic if you have not trained there, if you don't have the right kit, you don't have the right equipment, because it is such a harsh environment."Northern Command has been working with service branches to improve training areas there, O'Shaughnessy said, but domain awareness - the ability to see what's operating around you - also needs work.In addition to that awareness, in order to intercept Russian aircraft "you need the ability to command and control, and to command and control you have to be able to communicate. We have severe limitations to communicate in the Arctic," O'Shaughnessy said."Above about 65 degrees [latitude] it becomes limited. Above about 70 [degrees latitude] it becomes severely limited except for our more exquisite capabilities," O'Shaughnessy added. The 65th parallel north passes through roughly the middle of the Bering Strait, while the 70th passes through the state close to its northern coast.Leveraging work being done in the commercial sector on communications using satellites in low-earth-orbit is number one on Northern Command's unfunded priorities list, O'Shaughnessy said."We see amazing technology that's going to bring, literally, broadband connectivity - the same that you would have in your home right now, you could actually establish within the Arctic very quickly, in a matter of literally a year or so.""That would actually fast forward our ability to operate within that very difficult, challenging battle space," benefiting the military and civilian communities in the region, O'Shaughnessy said.

Russian reconnaissance planes were intercepted by US and Canadian fighters as they lurked over a submarine exercise in the Arctic

<ul class="summary-list"><li>US <keyword id="4794707" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Navy-submarines">Navy submarines</keyword> ventured into the <keyword id="59606" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="arctic">Arctic</keyword> again this year for Ice Exercise 2020, a biennial exercise that allows the sub force to maintain readiness for sustained operations in the region's unique and challenging conditions.</li><li>This year's version of the exercise comes amid growing interest in the increasingly accessible Arctic and as the US reorients itself for strategic competition with "great power" rivals, for which the Arctic will be a main venue.</li></ul>This year's Ice Exercise was nothing new of the Seawolf-class fast-attack sub <keyword id="9381008" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="uss-connecticut">USS Connecticut</keyword>, which also participated in the 2018 version of the biennial Arctic exercise.The 2018 iteration started just weeks after the Defense Department released its National Defense Strategy, which cited the reemergence of "long-term, strategic competition" with "revisionist powers" — namely, China and Russia — as the central challenge to US security."The Arctic is a potential strategic corridor — between Indo-Pacific, Europe, and the US homeland — for expanded competition," and ICEX 2020 was an opportunity for the Navy's <keyword id="41760" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Submarine">Submarine</keyword> Force to "demonstrate combat and tactical readiness" for sustained operations in the challenging environment there, sub force commander Vice Adm. Daryl Caudle <a href="https://www.dvidshub.net/news/364492/us-navy-kicks-off-icex-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> when the exercise began.<div type="image" title="ICEX 2020 Navy submarine Arctic" height="933" width="1400" msid="76311424" hostid="261"></div>That competition was on display when Connecticut and Los Angeles-class fast-attack sub USS Toledo surfaced on an ice floe near Camp Seadragon, the exercise's temporary base, named for the first sub to sail through the Northwest Passage and under an iceberg.On <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-canadian-jets-intercept-russian-reconnaissance-planes-near-alaska-2020-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">March 9</a> and <a href="https://www.dvidshub.net/news/365237/norad-intercepts-russian-aircraft-conducting-multi-axis-entrances-into-air-defense-identification-zone" target="_blank" rel="noopener">March 14</a>, Russian Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance planes flew through the area, lingering near the camp and the subs, accompanied by US and Canadian fighter aircraft, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-us-f-22s-intercept-russian-aircraft-over-alaskan-arctic-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which scramble frequently for such missions</a>.Those encounters underscore the need "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-planes-lurked-over-navy-submarine-exercise-in-the-arctic-2020-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to be able to react appropriately</a>" to send a strategic message and to "actually defeat any threats" should they arise, Air Force Gen. Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, head of US Northern Command, said days later.Down on the ice, however, the Russian presence didn't interrupt the work at hand."We were aware of the overflights," the Connecticut's commanding officer, Cmdr. Cameron Aljilani, told Insider in an interview at the end of May. "It did not affect any of the operations we were conducting."<h2>'The Arctic Circle is a first for me'</h2><div type="image" title="Navy submarine Connecticut Arctic ICEX" height="1365" width="2048" msid="76311426" hostid="261"></div>US Navy subs have done more than 100 Arctic exercises over the past 70 years, dating back to August 1947, when the USS Boarfish made the first under-ice transit of an ice floe.But this year's version of the exercise, centering on an ice floe 150 miles north of Prudhoe Bay on <keyword id="20636" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Alaska">Alaska</keyword>'s North Slope, was a first for Aljilani."I've operated in the Western Pacific as far west as Singapore, as far south as Australia," Aljilani said. As executive officer on East Coast-based Virginia-class attack sub USS North Dakota, Aljilani sailed as far east as the Mediterranean Sea, but, he said, "going north to the Arctic Circle is a first for me."Aljilani took command of the Connecticut in August 2019, and even though he was new to this kind of exercise, his crew was not."I was fortunate," Aljilani said. "Some of my department heads were here two years ago as well as about 40% of my crew. So that local, resident knowledge was very effective in making me successful."<div type="image" title="Navy Arctic ICEX Camp Seadragon" height="1669" width="2500" msid="76311429" hostid="261"></div>The Navy's Arctic Submarine Laboratory, based in San Diego, is the lead organization for ICEX and has the service's resident experts on Arctic operations."They maintain our tactics, techniques, and procedures, and during my transit and then up at the ice camp we had Arctic operations specialists, we call them ice pilots," Aljilani said. "They embarked on the ship, and they helped us as we navigated through the Bering Strait and up into the Arctic."The Lab <a href="https://www.militarynews.com/norfolk-navy-flagship/u-s-navy-completes-icex-2020/article_4c141cb8-6790-11ea-b602-bb7b0dc50930.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">set up on</a> a moving ice floe to provide a platform where a tracking range, sensors, communication equipment, and personnel could be safely moved to and from the subs taking part.Personnel from Canada, Norway, the UK, and Japan were also on hand for the exercise, <a href="https://www.arctictoday.com/u-s-navy-submarines-surface-near-the-north-pole-as-icex-2020-gets-underway/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shortened this year</a> to three weeks from five in 2018 and 2016.The Connecticut surfaced about a mile from the camp, Aljilani said. "They were able to have these really interesting planes that could take off in like 150 yards. It was pretty amazing. So they would fly from ice camp" and land about 100 yards from the sub.<div type="image" title="Canada ICEX Arctic Circle" height="932" width="1400" msid="76311431" hostid="261"></div>The Connecticut took on some distinguished visitors during the exercise, but it didn't take on cargo since it had a maximum load of food and parts — "so much food the crew was walking on cans ... of food throughout the ship," Aljilani said — as part of <a href="https://www.militarynews.com/norfolk-navy-flagship/u-s-navy-completes-icex-2020/article_4c141cb8-6790-11ea-b602-bb7b0dc50930.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endurance tests</a> that including keeping radio silence and doing repairs at sea.The exercise took place in early March, before the coronavirus pandemic had rapidly expanded across the US. But the sub still took health precautions."When we started to get information about the coronavirus as we were on our transit up to the Arctic and as personnel were coming on board, they were screened in accordance with CDC guidance at the time," Aljilani said."Personnel were screened when they got on board and then they debarked, and then we were instituting our own screening protocols on board after the fact with no displays of symptoms."<h2>The Navy's most capable subs</h2><div type="image" title="Navy submarine Connecticut Arctic ICEX" height="1669" width="2500" msid="76311433" hostid="261"></div>The Connecticut, commissioned in 1998, is one of only three Seawolf-class subs, along with the USS Seawolf and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reason-navy-named-submarine-after-jimmy-carter-instead-of-carrier-2019-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the USS Jimmy Carter</a>. The subs were designed to be the Navy's most capable in order to stay ahead of Soviet technology, but the service stopped building them after the Cold War ended.But the Connecticut's sophisticated features, included with the Cold War in mind, still make it uniquely suited for Arctic operations."We have an improved sail that allows us to surface through the ice," a feature that has been included on Virginia-class subs, Aljilani said.The sub also has a "very capable" sonar system. "I would say that's the capability that they made the best possible to go up there," Aljilani added. "When we went up ... two years ago, we had a version of the sonar system that now is about four, five years old, and we just got an upgraded system over our past dry-docking availability" in <a href="https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/2019/09/06/shipyard-returns-uss-connecticut-fleet/2235012001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mid-2019</a>.The sonar system, like other technology on the sub, is constantly upgraded, and that "ability to continually update us technically makes it easier for us to" operate in the Arctic, Aljilani said.<div type="image" title="Navy submarine Connecticut Arctic ICEX" height="1667" width="2500" msid="76311435" hostid="261"></div>As suited as those systems are for the Arctic, the sailors manning them still need training for the conditions there, which are markedly different from those in other parts of the world."We have shore-based simulators that can model how the ship will react" to differences in salinity and temperature and other factors, Aljilani said.Nor is the vertical surfacing that subs do during ICEX part of the standard submariner skill set. "Normally we would ascend to periscope depth having speed in the water. Due to under-ice operations, you can't be moving forward. You have to go up at zero speed and straight to the ice. That's one thing that we would practice," Aljilani said.Similarly, dealing with the ice canopy requires special preparation, including training to spot ice pinnacles with sonar and maneuvering to avoid them."For normal operations on the open ocean, there's nothing overhead ... so for us, we have to learn how to detect and avoid ice fields that can go as deep as 200 feet in some areas," Aljilani said.<h2>'No safe haven'</h2><div type="image" title="USS Connecticut submarine Arctic ice surface" height="935" width="1400" msid="76311438" hostid="261"></div>Surfacing through an ice floe may be ICEX's most well-known event, but under-ice transits are also important.The Bering Strait, where sea ice is typically at its greatest extent <a href="https://mashable.com/article/bering-strait-sea-ice-gone-2019-arctic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in March</a>, is a very shallow operational area. While in it, most of the sub's control party is focused on navigating safely, Aljilani said, but north of it, inside the Arctic circle, "it actually gets very deep."In the strait, there is "a three-dimensional problem," Aljilani said. "I'm worried about the ground below and the ice above, and so that skill really is about being able to avoid the ice canopy or pinnacles that are coming down."Open ocean allows the crew to practice more skills, such as operating deeper, coming shallow, weapons deployment, and sonar tracking — "all the skills that submarines have to have," Aljilani said.<div type="image" title="Navy submarine USS Connecticut Cameron Aljilani" height="1512" width="2016" msid="76311439" hostid="261"></div>Climate change is making the Arctic more accessible for transit as well as resource extraction, drawing more attention from the world's navies.But the region has long held advantages for US submarines. The ice canopy can prevent detection from the air, and distances across the Arctic are shorter, allowing subs to move between the coasts quickly, aiding crisis response.But those features cut both ways."The disadvantage is there's no other traffic there. So if you detect a contact under the ice, it is most certainly a submarine, and they can probably detect you as well," Aljilani said. "It's so quiet that we could actually detect a snowmobile that was driving by, probably about 5 miles from where we were at, on top of the ice."Conversely, the constant grinding of ice and other background sound "raises the ambient level of noise" and affects a sub's ability to hear specific things. "In general it's hard to detect discrete sounds in that environment," Aljilani said.<div type="image" title="Navy submarine Connecticut Arctic ICEX" height="1669" width="2500" msid="76311442" hostid="261"></div>The limits the Arctic puts on movement affects everything a sub does, perhaps most importantly its ability to respond to emergencies on board."When we go out and operate off of Washington state or San Diego, at any time most of our casualty procedures are based on the ability to conduct an emergency blow and proceed to the surface. That is not an option when you're under the ice," Aljilani said.That changes the risk calculus, forcing Aljilani to rethink potential responses. During a fire aboard, the normal procedure would be respond to it and then surface to conduct emergency ventilation after the fire was out.But in the Bering Strait, doing that "could run [the sub into] 20 or 30 feet of ice, damage my sonar, damage my sail, and really impact the ship," Aljilani said. "So actually a safer option would almost be to accept the fact that we're flooding and maybe just settle on the bottom and then recover the ship.""There is no safe haven" in the Arctic, Aljilani added. "So you have to think carefully [about] how you're going to execute emergency procedures. Because if a sailor takes an action that would be normal under normal operating conditions, that actually may hazard the ship more."

With Russia keeping watch, US Navy subs ventured back to the high north to train where there's 'no safe haven'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Russian activity in the <keyword id="59606" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="arctic">Arctic</keyword> is increasingly complex, the head of <keyword id="5224610" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="US-Northern-Command">US Northern Command</keyword> said.</li><li>Gen. Glen VanHerck said his command is looking "to use strategic messaging to create a deterrence effect."</li></ul>Russian military activity around <keyword id="20636" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Alaska">Alaska</keyword> is increasing and getting more complex, the top US commander in the region said Wednesday.The Arctic, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bering-strait-importance-grows-amid-us-russia-tension-arctic-activity-2020-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">especially around Alaska</a>, has become a venue for competition amid heightened tensions between the US and <keyword id="6358826" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Russia">Russia</keyword>. One of Moscow's most visible gestures has been military flights into the Alaskan air-defense identification zone, or ADIZ.Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck, who leads US Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, told senators in March that that US and Canada responded to more of those flights <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/general-russian-military-flights-near-alaska-since-cold-war-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in 2020 than in any year since the Cold War</a>."We're back into peer competition. Clearly Russia is trying to reassert on a global stage their influence and their capabilities," VanHerck said of the flights at a Defense Writers Group event Wednesday."The difference between the past and now is the intercepts are more complex - multi-axis, multi-platform, and oftentimes they'll enter the ADIZ and stay for hours," VanHerck added. "That would be the significant difference, but ... it is playing out as the peer competition."<div type="image" title="Air Force F-22 Russia Tu-95 bomber Alaska Arctic" height="1500" width="2000" msid="81854521" hostid="261"></div>In an April 2020 interview, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-us-f-22s-intercept-russian-aircraft-over-alaskan-arctic-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an F-22 pilot tasked with responding to those Russian flights told Insider</a> that they were "part of an ongoing probe" for "gauging our response and our ability to go out and meet them."Those Russian flights have been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-us-f-22s-intercept-russian-aircraft-over-alaskan-arctic-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">less frequent than in early 2020</a>, but they have continued. <keyword id="224741" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="NORAD">NORAD</keyword> <a href="https://www.norad.mil/Newsroom/Press-Releases/Article/2482417/norad-tracks-and-identifies-russian-aircraft-inside-air-defense-identification/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on January 25 and <a href="https://www.norad.mil/Newsroom/Press-Releases/Article/2553985/norad-identifies-and-tracks-russian-aircraft-inside-air-defense-identification/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">again</a> on March 29 that it had tracked Tu-142 patrol aircraft in the ADIZ. (The ADIZ extends well beyond territorial airspace, which none of those aircraft entered.)On February 18, NORAD posted <a href="https://twitter.com/NORADCommand/status/1362524394682085376" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a tweet</a> attributed to VanHerck saying it was "aware of Russian military aircraft forward deployments" and that it "stands ready, as always, to respond appropriately."Russia has <a href="https://tass.com/defense/1236879" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deployed</a> aircraft and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-nato-increasing-military-activity-in-the-arctic-2020-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">other military hardware</a> to the region in recent months, <a href="https://t.co/2Eq6rP4Vwu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as has the US</a>, but NORAD's tweet didn't specify which aircraft or where.VanHerck said Wednesday that the tweet reflected "how we're changing how we approach competition, candidly.""When I talk about my strategy, it's getting further left in our messaging and creating deterrence options. It's about giving decision space to senior leaders," VanHerck said, using "left" <a href="https://missiledefenseadvocacy.org/alert/3132/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as a military term</a> for ahead of an adversary's action."The fact that you can tell a competitor that you're aware of their activities and potential intent gives us the opportunity to posture forces or use strategic messaging to create a deterrence effect," VanHerck added.<h2>'Significant activity'</h2><div type="image" title="Russian submarines Arctic ice" height="1343" width="2000" msid="81854526" hostid="261"></div>Climate change is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/record-heat-in-the-arctic-is-affecting-ice-cover-fisheries-2020-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">making the Arctic more accessible</a> to human activity, and military operations there are increasing.US and NATO navies have been more active there in recent months - the British Navy <a href="https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2021/march/31/20210331-lancaster-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">completed</a> its first Arctic exercise of 2021 in late March. The US Air Force has been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-air-force-b1b-bombers-on-historic-deployment-to-norway-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flying more near Russian borders in the European Arctic</a>, where Russia has sensitive military bases.Russia, which has the world's longest Arctic coastline and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-ship-stuck-suez-canal-good-for-northern-sea-route-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hopes to benefit from more activity there</a>, has for years been refurbishing and upgrading radars, airbases, and other facilities in the region, where aerial defense is a primary concern.<keyword id="46942" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Russian-Navy">Russian Navy</keyword> chief Adm. Nikolai Yevmenov <a href="https://tass.com/defense/1270873" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on March 26 that MiG-31 jets had for the first time flown over the North Pole and refueled in midair. Yevmenov also said three nuclear-powered submarines had surfaced through Arctic ice "<a href="https://tass.com/defense/1270875" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in a limited space</a>" for the first time the service's history. Such submarine exercises, like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-russia-arctic-activity-amid-us-changes-europe-military-presence-2020-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a unique US submarine's appearance in Norway</a> last year, are often meant as messages.<div type="image" title="British Norwegian navy fjord Arctic" height="1333" width="2000" msid="81854527" hostid="261"></div>"These combat training, research, and practical measures have demonstrated the Russian Navy's abilities and preparedness to operate in the harsh northern latitudes," Russian President Vladimir Putin <a href="https://arctic.ru/amp/news/20210329/992362.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> last month, adding that such work "must be continued."Amid those Arctic drills, there was what NATO <a href="https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_182897.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> "an unusual peak of flights" by Russian aircraft around Europe on March 29. Fighter jets from NATO militaries intercepted six groups of Russian planes <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nato-jets-scrambled-in-response-to-unusual-russian-flights-nearby-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in less than six hours</a>."Within the last week or so, there's been significant activity in the Arctic" in the air, at sea, and undersea, VanHerk said Wednesday. "Again, I attribute that back to a competition ongoing."That activity was outside of VanHerck's area of responsibility, but he said he was aware of it and emphasized his command's training and cooperation with NATO and US forces in Europe."We just recently recently completed our exercise Amalgam Dart. We have ICEX, another exercise, upcoming," VanHerck said, referring to a NORAD <a href="https://www.norad.mil/Newsroom/Article/2538728/norad-conducts-arctic-air-defense-exercise-amalgam-dart/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">air-defense exercise</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/navy-submarine-connecticut-drills-during-icex-2020-in-the-arctic-2020-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a Navy submarine exercise</a>, both in the Arctic."We've closely partnered with NATO and [European Command] as far as ... conducting operations that show our capability," VanHerck added.

The US military wants to get ahead of 'more complex' Russian operations, top North American commander says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>US fighter aircraft have been called out to intercept eight Russian <keyword id="47125" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="bomber">bomber</keyword> aircraft in the past week, according to information from North American Aerospace Defense Command.</li><li>A total of four intercepts have taken place, with two occurring last Wednesday and another two happening Tuesday evening. In one instance, Russian aircraft came within just 20 nautical miles of US shores.</li><li><keyword id="224741" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="NORAD">NORAD</keyword> said that Russian aircraft have penetrated its air defense identification zones eight times this year, indicating an uptick in Russian air activity near North America.</li></ul>US Air Force F-22 Raptors have intercepted eight <keyword id="6358826" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Russia">Russia</keyword>n bombers approaching Alaska in the past week as Russia steps up its air patrols near the US.North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) reported Wednesday morning that F-22s, supported by KC-135 aerial refueling tankers and E-3 early warning aircraft, intercepted two Russian bomber formations in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) Tuesday evening.The first Russian aircraft formation consisted of two Tu-95 bombers, two Su-35 fighters, and an A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft, and the second was made up of two Tu-95 bombers and an A-50. The aircraft came within 32 nautical miles of the Alaskan coastline but never entered US airspace.The Russian defense ministry has released a video of the intercept.And on Wednesday, June 10, two Russian bomber formations consisting of the same types of planes in the same groupings flew long-range air patrols near the US, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-stealth-fighters-intercept-russian-bombers-near-alaska-2020-6">forcing NORAD to respond</a>.One of the Russian formations came within 20 nautical miles of US shores, but neither aircraft group ever entered US sovereign airspace, which extends 12 nautical miles from US shores. The ADIZ extends 200 nautical miles from the coastline."For the eighth time this year, Russian military aircraft have penetrated our Canadian or Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zones," NORAD commander Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy <a href="https://twitter.com/NORADCommand/status/1273271822599913472">said in a statement Wednesday</a>, adding, "Each and every time NORAD forces were ready to meet this challenge."His remarks appear to indicate an uptick in Russian long-range patrol flights near the US. In a statement last year, NORAD said that it has intercepted an average of six to seven Russian sorties entering a NORAD ADIZ since Russia restarted these patrols in 2007.The Russian aircraft that enter the ADIZs are not always bomber aircraft. For instance, earlier this year, NORAD fighters intercepted a couple of Russian Tupolev Tu-142MZ maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft that are <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-planes-lurked-over-navy-submarine-exercise-in-the-arctic-2020-3">suspected of surveilling Ice Exercise (ICEX) 2020</a>.In April, O'Shaughnessy told reporters at the Pentagon that Russian air activity near North America as a "continuous effort" to "probe and check and see our responses." He said that NORAD is "postured to maintain that ability to respond at a moment's notice.""We expect to see continued activity there," the general said. "That's why we're postured the way we are, and that's why we're always ready to respond."

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