All-female Senate delegation sets off for High North amid growing military tensions

An all-female, bipartisan delegation of U.S. senators is touring to the Arctic on Friday to reaffirm America’s commitments to allies in opposition to the backdrop of escalating tensions within the Excessive North.

Led by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, the group will go to Canada, Greenland, Norway and Iceland to “look at U.S. and allied Arctic safety, infrastructure and analysis capabilities amid rising geopolitical competitors within the area from Russia and China,” in accordance with a press launch.

The itinerary is about to incorporate briefings at Pituffik Area Base in Greenland on Arctic protection and strategic competitors within the area.

President Donald Trump’s administration has sought to increase Washington’s strategic footprint in Greenland. Earlier this 12 months, Trump instructed that U.S. forces might seize the semiautonomous Danish territory on nationwide safety grounds.

His push elicited a pointy rebuke from officers in each Greenland and Denmark, with the latter rejecting any potential for negotiation or territorial acquisition. The episode additionally roiled relations between the Trump administration and conventional European allies extra broadly.

The all-female delegation that units off on Friday can also be anticipated to satisfy with U.S. navy personnel, Indigenous communities, allied officers, Arctic researchers and regional leaders on rising operational and strategic dynamics throughout the area.

Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire make up the Democratic facet of the delegation, whereas Sens. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Katie Britt of Alabama, and Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi signify the GOP.