International Cooperative Engagement Program for Polar Research (ICE-PPR) Communications Workshop

Earlier this month, the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies hosted an International Cooperative Engagement Program for Polar Research (ICE-PPR) Communications Workshop in Hanover, N.H., in partnership with the U.S. Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC).

“When we bring together practitioners with researchers, we know we have the right set of ingredients to advance the conversations that matter,” said Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Randy “Church” Kee, Director of the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies. “Together we are creating essential knowledge products that we can put in the hands of both researchers and programmers to close whatever gaps exist and make communication more effective.”

Director Kee commented on how significantly communications have improved across high latitudes, especially in austere field environments, since he was first introduced to these capabilities in the 1980s. He attributed that improvement to the hard work of researchers and programmers across multinational collaborations.

"Leadership from the Department of War’s Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies and the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory are to be congratulated for holding a most impactful workshop on the topic of military communications in the Arctic region,” said Dr. John W. Farrell, U.S. Arctic Research Commission Executive Director.

Dr. Farrell noted that traditional means of connectivity often don’t work in the Arctic region given the unique polar geography and austere environmental conditions.

“By focusing in on communication challenges both beneath the sea surface, and far above it, participants were able to identify critical research topics that will result in products and services beneficial to the military operator," said Farrell.

The ICE-PPR, coordinated by the Office of Naval Research, is an agreement between seven partner Nations’ government agencies engaged in polar research to help advance polar science and technology. These Nations include the U.S., Canada, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden.

The goal of this ICE-PPR workshop was to enhance the resilience, security, and interoperability of critical communication systems across the high-latitude operational environment.

Presentations by Arctic Allies introduced ongoing research with potential for mutual advantage through collaboration. Very Low Frequency research underway in Norway, for example, has implications for monitoring naval operations in the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom (GIUK) Gap.

"Military communication has one purpose - to serve a command,” said Dr. Johnny Grøneng Aase, Ph.D., a Norwegian Navy OR-8, which in NATO equivalence corresponds to a U.S. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer. “The electromagnetic spectrum is contested. We should never forget that colleagues from countries that do not share our Western values are extremely competent in the field of electronic warfare. This challenges our ability to utilize the electromagnetic spectrum on our terms.”

Dr. Aase, who has extensive experience in satellite communications, Arctic operations, and applied research, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to attend this year’s ICE-PPR. “I’m thankful to share some of the results from my research with such a competent and dedicated community and listen to colleagues sharing their own original research. I believe that scientific collaboration among equals is the way forward to give our commanders and warfighters the upper hand.”

Participation in the workshop was open to members of the Joint community, all service branches, service research facilities, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, U.S. government agencies, academia including University Affiliated Research Centers, and industry partners.