VOLUME 16, ISSUE 4 (2016) ©Centre of Military and Strategic Studies, 2016 ISSN : 1488-559X Journal of Military and Strategic Studies The Canadian Armed Forces in the Arctic: Building Appropriate Capabilities P. Whitney Lackenbauer and Adam Lajeunesse With a renewed commitment to maintaining a presence in the region and enhancing our capabilities to routinely operate in this often-inhospitable expanse, the [Canadian Armed Forces] is contributing to the Government of Canada’s Northern Strategy. At the same time, exercising Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic can only be achieved through a whole-of-government approach. Therefore, the [Canadian Armed Forces] is also working closely with our federal and territorial partners, as well as with the peoples of the North, to safeguard this precious inheritance and ensure Canada remains “Our True North, Strong and Free. - DND Backgrounder, “The Canadian Forces in the Arctic” (April 13, 2012) Climate change. Newly accessible resources. New maritime routes. Unresolved boundary disputes. Announcements of new investments in military capabilities to ‘defend’ sovereignty and sovereign rights. The Arctic has emerged as a topic of tremendous hype (and deep-seated misperceptions) over the last decade, spawning