[2]A destination or “fly-over country?”The United States does not depend on the arctic like its fellow arctic nations. Warming arctic waters and rapidly proliferating and commercialized technologies are enabling a new set of arctic security concerns. The DoW’s collection of long-range ground-based radars are well-suited to counter ballistic missiles and aircraft. Tuning the DoW’s arctic sensors to better detect cruise missiles or drones may make them less able to detect ballistic missiles with the resolution needed to differentiate warheads from decoys. Operators can change an uncrewed system’s sensors, radios, weapons, or autonomy algorithms in minutes or hours.

Source: Washington Post April 01, 2026 15:37 UTC