WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) questioned U.S. Air Force General Tod D. Wolters, nominee for U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, on U.S. relations with Russia in the Arctic. In his questioning, Senator King stressed the need to foster cooperation in the high north where appropriate, and underscored the importance of exercises, training and escalation management – seeking opportunities for “cooperation rather than conflict” – to avoid miscommunication with Russia. His exchange with General Wolters is below:

King: The Arctic: A huge area of potential cooperation or conflict, particularly with Russia. How do you see developments in the Arctic during your ‘administration’, if you will? And how do we push those developments towards cooperation rather than conflict? (Begins at 01:52).

Wolters: A smooth fusing in exercises. And Senator, as you well know, we just completed a trident juncture exercise, very large, with 50,000 U.S. military members that were involved. Escalation management, at the start of the exercise, was a huge consideration to make sure that we weren’t doing any things that would improperly cause a conflict. But those exercises bring soldiers that start to understand the environment, they bring with them a higher degree of confidence and expertise to where they can operate in that environment. And as you well know, at the strategic level, there are ongoing discussions between combatant commanders to ensure we have the appropriate transparency and alignment. We’re very excited, and if confirmed at U.S. EUCOM, I’m very excited to have the opportunity to work with Gen. Shaughnessy on the specifics of what we can do from a NORTHCOM and EUCOM perspective to better improve our transparency and alignment with activities in the Arctic.

King: Well, the data that I’ve seen is that the Russians are significantly increasing their presence, their military presence, along their shore of the Arctic … Is that a concern, and how do we respond to that? And again, to go back to the beginning, how do we move back toward cooperation rather than confrontation?

Wolters: Senator, that’s a concern. And I think we need to respond as we have, by increasing the activity via exercise and training events in the vicinity of the Arctic.

Senator King is a staunch advocate for Maine’s interests in the North Atlantic and Arctic region, and has worked in Washington to advance Maine’s leadership in the High North. He is a co-founder of the bipartisan Senate Arctic Caucus with U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), which works to underscore the importance of the Arctic for the United States’ national security, economic viability, and environmental leadership. Last May, he joined University of New England students, faculty, researchers, and staff as well as leaders on North Atlantic and Arctic policy at the launch of the Institute for North Atlantic Studies of the University of New England (UNE NORTH). UNE NORTH is an initiative of the University of New England that aims to help the next generation of leaders further responsible stewardship and sustainable economic growth in the region.

In 2015, Senator King traveled to Iceland, where he participated in the Arctic Circle Assembly Plenary Session, speaking to the national security, climate change, economic issues that make the region a significant policy priority for the U.S. In October 2016, Senator King joined Maine people and leaders from around the globe to attend the Arctic Council conference at the University of Southern Maine’s Portland Campus. He also visited Greenland on a fact-finding mission that focused on examining the environmental and security implications of the warming Artic climate and traveled to Iqaluit, Canada to help usher in the United States’ chairmanship of the Artic Council in 2015.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senator King is recognized as a thoughtful voice on national security and foreign policy issues in the Senate. In addition to his committee work, he serves on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, the Senate North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Observer Group, and the Cyberspace Solarium Commission.

Today’s Armed Services hearing was held to consider the nomination of U.S. Air Force General Tod D. Wolters, to be Commander, United States European Command (EUCOM) and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, and to consider the nomination of U.S. Army General Stephen J. Townsend to lead United States Africa Command (AFRICOM).