Under The Radar is a special series and newsletter offering from Diplomatic Courier bringing you compelling, under–the–radar stories from around the world over the past month. This month across the Hinterlands: China’s Antarctic focus gives West pause, a new friend–shoring partnership to bolster icebreaker production, and the U.S. Congress talks UFOs. You can sign up to receive the newsletter here.
China’s recent blocking of marine life conservation proposals—coupled with their growing collaboration with Russia—has the U.S. and Australia questioning their motives as China embarks on its 41st Antarctic Expedition. Deploying two icebreaking ships on 1 November 2024, China’s mission is to support the Qinling Station construction located on the ice–free Ross Sea (their fifth research station in Antarctica). The team of researchers are accompanied by Hong Kong scientists for the first time and reportedly plan on overseeing environmental monitoring.
One goal of the 2024 Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) in Hobart, Australia was to enact new proposals aimed at establishing more Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Instead, members were left frustrated as every new proposal was blocked by either or both China and Russia. More notably, they both “...vetoed the renewal of a krill fisheries management measure.” The measure has been limiting krill fishing in a protected area for over three decades. Tony Press, former Head of the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), criticized the bleak outcomes of the CCAMLR meeting, calling it a step backward.
Furthermore, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) recently reported the first–ever recorded joint patrol of its kind: two Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) ships and two Russian Border Guard ships in the Bering Sea. This is also the northernmost location the USCG has ever observed CCG ships. While developing the Qinling Station remains a legitimate purpose of their 41st Antarctic Expedition, China’s maritime collaboration with Russia and CCAMLR’s grim outcome suggests their scientific research prioritizes geopolitical influence, rather than ecosystem conservation.
‘Friend–Shoring:’ Finland, Canada, and the U.S. plan for more icebreakers
As the ice melts, geostrategic challenges heat up in the Arctic and Antarctic. To establish presence and ensure security in the region, nations urgently require icebreakers—ships that can break through polar ice. However, building these ships requires a specialized labor force and expert knowledge. To combat this challenge and foster commitment to peaceful and collaborative exploration of the polar region, Finland, Canada, and the U.S. signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 13 November 2024. Building off the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE) Pact put into place periphery of the NATO Summit in July, the “landmark MOU” aims to ramp up production of icebreakers at a competitive cost.
This type of industrial cooperation, often referred to as ‘friend–shoring,’ could help the three nations close a massive gap in fleet size with competitors. The U.S.’s fleet of two icebreakers is paltry in comparison to Russia’s 37–strong fleet, seven of which are nuclear powered plus one combat icebreaker with more in production.
Ironically, many of Russia’s icebreakers were built in Finland; the Helsinki shipyard was owned by Russia until 2023 when Canada purchased it—sweetening the MOU agreement. In fact, Finland has touted shipbuilding expertise far longer than the title of world's happiest country: 80% of the world’s icebreakers have been Finnish designed; 60% of which were built at Finnish shipyards.
The signing of the ICE Pact MOU is more than symbolic. It aims to strengthen the three countries' geopolitical presence and security—creating jobs in the shipbuilding industry along the way.
The bipartisan effort to expose Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena
The U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Oversight and Accountability convened on 13 November 2024 to consider Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs)—more commonly known as UFOs. The hearing observed witness testimonies from exasperated former military, defense, and space officials; as well as journalist Michael Shellenberger, sharing one common goal: They want the truth. And while no conclusive evidence was presented—nor later confirmed by the U.S. Government (USG)—those present at the hearing agreed there has been significant government oversight, and regardless of what UAPs are, they pose a security threat.
More notably, Shellenberger presented a report from a government whistleblower that revealed an Unacknowledged Special Access Program (USAP) called Immaculate Constellation that is reportedly being run by the U.S. Executive Branch without Congressional oversight. The primary mission being the collection and analysis of “...anomalous aerospace threats that originate from foreign or unidentified sources.”
Other than the bombshell of the USAP, red tape dominated the hearing. Namely, former Department of Defense (DoD) official Luis Elizondo skirted a question regarding crash retrievals, citing a documentation he signed with the DoD; to which Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D–Fla. prodded, “Well, you know, you can’t talk about fight club if there’s no fight club.” Elizondo responded, “Correct.”
Regardless of the validity of the whistleblower’s report, witness testimonies, or UAP sightings, the fact that the U.S., and other countries like Japan, have and are forming groups solely to investigate UAPs echoes the iconic phrase sci–fi series X–Files popularized in the 90s: The truth is out there.
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China’s increasing focus on Antarctica makes geopolitical waves
The “Polar Star” icebreaker vessel. Image courtesy of Ville Miettinen from Helsinki, Finland, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
December 6, 2024
Diplomatic Courier editor Melissa Metos brings you three under–the–radar stories from the Hinterlands: China’s Antarctic focus gives West pause, a new friend–shoring partnership to bolster icebreaker production, and the U.S. Congress talks UFOs.
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Under The Radar is a special series and newsletter offering from Diplomatic Courier bringing you compelling, under–the–radar stories from around the world over the past month. This month across the Hinterlands: China’s Antarctic focus gives West pause, a new friend–shoring partnership to bolster icebreaker production, and the U.S. Congress talks UFOs. You can sign up to receive the newsletter here.
China’s recent blocking of marine life conservation proposals—coupled with their growing collaboration with Russia—has the U.S. and Australia questioning their motives as China embarks on its 41st Antarctic Expedition. Deploying two icebreaking ships on 1 November 2024, China’s mission is to support the Qinling Station construction located on the ice–free Ross Sea (their fifth research station in Antarctica). The team of researchers are accompanied by Hong Kong scientists for the first time and reportedly plan on overseeing environmental monitoring.
One goal of the 2024 Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) in Hobart, Australia was to enact new proposals aimed at establishing more Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Instead, members were left frustrated as every new proposal was blocked by either or both China and Russia. More notably, they both “...vetoed the renewal of a krill fisheries management measure.” The measure has been limiting krill fishing in a protected area for over three decades. Tony Press, former Head of the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), criticized the bleak outcomes of the CCAMLR meeting, calling it a step backward.
Furthermore, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) recently reported the first–ever recorded joint patrol of its kind: two Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) ships and two Russian Border Guard ships in the Bering Sea. This is also the northernmost location the USCG has ever observed CCG ships. While developing the Qinling Station remains a legitimate purpose of their 41st Antarctic Expedition, China’s maritime collaboration with Russia and CCAMLR’s grim outcome suggests their scientific research prioritizes geopolitical influence, rather than ecosystem conservation.
‘Friend–Shoring:’ Finland, Canada, and the U.S. plan for more icebreakers
As the ice melts, geostrategic challenges heat up in the Arctic and Antarctic. To establish presence and ensure security in the region, nations urgently require icebreakers—ships that can break through polar ice. However, building these ships requires a specialized labor force and expert knowledge. To combat this challenge and foster commitment to peaceful and collaborative exploration of the polar region, Finland, Canada, and the U.S. signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 13 November 2024. Building off the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE) Pact put into place periphery of the NATO Summit in July, the “landmark MOU” aims to ramp up production of icebreakers at a competitive cost.
This type of industrial cooperation, often referred to as ‘friend–shoring,’ could help the three nations close a massive gap in fleet size with competitors. The U.S.’s fleet of two icebreakers is paltry in comparison to Russia’s 37–strong fleet, seven of which are nuclear powered plus one combat icebreaker with more in production.
Ironically, many of Russia’s icebreakers were built in Finland; the Helsinki shipyard was owned by Russia until 2023 when Canada purchased it—sweetening the MOU agreement. In fact, Finland has touted shipbuilding expertise far longer than the title of world's happiest country: 80% of the world’s icebreakers have been Finnish designed; 60% of which were built at Finnish shipyards.
The signing of the ICE Pact MOU is more than symbolic. It aims to strengthen the three countries' geopolitical presence and security—creating jobs in the shipbuilding industry along the way.
The bipartisan effort to expose Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena
The U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Oversight and Accountability convened on 13 November 2024 to consider Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs)—more commonly known as UFOs. The hearing observed witness testimonies from exasperated former military, defense, and space officials; as well as journalist Michael Shellenberger, sharing one common goal: They want the truth. And while no conclusive evidence was presented—nor later confirmed by the U.S. Government (USG)—those present at the hearing agreed there has been significant government oversight, and regardless of what UAPs are, they pose a security threat.
More notably, Shellenberger presented a report from a government whistleblower that revealed an Unacknowledged Special Access Program (USAP) called Immaculate Constellation that is reportedly being run by the U.S. Executive Branch without Congressional oversight. The primary mission being the collection and analysis of “...anomalous aerospace threats that originate from foreign or unidentified sources.”
Other than the bombshell of the USAP, red tape dominated the hearing. Namely, former Department of Defense (DoD) official Luis Elizondo skirted a question regarding crash retrievals, citing a documentation he signed with the DoD; to which Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D–Fla. prodded, “Well, you know, you can’t talk about fight club if there’s no fight club.” Elizondo responded, “Correct.”
Regardless of the validity of the whistleblower’s report, witness testimonies, or UAP sightings, the fact that the U.S., and other countries like Japan, have and are forming groups solely to investigate UAPs echoes the iconic phrase sci–fi series X–Files popularized in the 90s: The truth is out there.
