Polar Vortex: The Battle for Alaska's North Slope

“According to a State Department representative, Russia is not getting back Alaska, which was sold to the United States in the 19th century. This is it, then. And we’ve been waiting for it to be returned any day. Now war is unavoidable.”—January 28, 2024 comment by Dmitry Medvedev, current Deputy Head of the Russian Security Council and close confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin. As Vladimir Putin’s regime continues, and as the war in Ukraine demonstrated, there are increasingly more reasons to be concerned with Russia using military force to intimidate and coerce any nation it deems a rival or a threat. Putin himself has frequently claimed that Russia reserves the right to “protect” the rights and interests of Russians and Russian property anywhere in the world, and this includes those in Alaska. As conflicts involving Russia endure or escalate in Ukraine and elsewhere, ways to “protect” Russia’s interests by lashing out and taking revenge cannot be ignored. One very cold place where matters can quickly turn hot is Alaska’s North Slope where the terminus of the Alaskan Oil and LNG Pipelines, and the tanker loading facilities for loading those materials, are located. Taking this vital economic resource would be a highly prized Russian military objective, and one that is vital for the US to defend. Wargames can be excellent vehicles to explore “what ifs?” Can you do as well or better than your counterparts? Learn and enjoy! —description from the publisher