Longtime U.S. Border Patrol official Christopher Kuhn is becoming an expert on national security issues involving an increasingly important and active region of the globe, the Arctic. That knowledge, which is being honed at the Center for Homeland Defense and Security, took him all the way to Midtown Manhattan in New York City during the confluence of the United Nations General Assembly and his participation on an inter-agency Arctic panel last year.
On Sept. 25, the CHDS student (Master’s Program cohort 2403/2404) traveled to the Big Apple to participate in Deloitte’s Decision Making in the Arctic Executive Panel during the UN General Assembly. Kuhn joined representatives from various government agencies, research and data entities, and international non-governmental organizations to provide insights into the challenges and opportunities in the Arctic.
The Arctic region is emerging as one of the greatest opportunities and challenges of the next decade. From the natural environment to biodiversity and fisheries, the accessibility of natural gas, oil, rare metal deposits; the feasibility of establishing new shipping lanes, military bases, and other infrastructure raises national level questions about disputed international claims, geopolitical tensions, national security concerns, and relationships with indigenous communities.
The Deloitte UNGA event description also referred to the 2024 U.S. Department of Defense Arctic Strategy, updated in conjunction with NATO allies, that “builds on strategic frameworks for the Arctic region and recognizes the need to balance the interlocking pillars of security, environment, sustainable economic development, and international cooperation.”
The panel, titled “Decision-Making in the Arctic: Challenges and Opportunities,” covered topics ranging from the current state of the Arctic, the primary sources of data, the ways commercial industry should use science and data for decision making, types of research tools, and risks to the international community involving defense and maritime topics such as geostrategic opportunities and challenges in the region, strategies and challenges in the maritime, land, and air domains, and inter-agency collaboration opportunities. In addition, the panel addressed opportunities for international policy, competing resourcing priorities, and data analysis related to risk as well as possible government solutions.
Kuhn, a 18-year veteran Border Patrol agent who serves as a Deputy Chief Patrol Agent for the Blaine Sector, which includes Alaska and the Arctic region, said he was asked to participate on the panel on behalf of the U.S. Border Patrol because of his experience with the region, noting inherent challenges that include all-domain awareness due to its size, diversity, extreme weather and sparse populations, communications and mobility, and the need for building technology capabilities.
Encompassing more than 36,000 miles of coastline from Oregon to Alaska and 1,600 miles of land border with Canada, the Blaine Sector is the nation‘s largest Border Patrol Sector in terms of geographical area of responsibility.
Kuhn said serving on the panel was “a remarkable learning experience,” adding that it underscored that a “Whole of Government and Whole of Community approach is required to secure Alaska,” and that “Arctic Security provides a strategic global advantage to National Security, and that the U.S. is an Arctic nation. As an Arctic nation, we have a tremendous opportunity to promote a peaceful Arctic region.”
He said his CHDS experience helped him “tremendously” in preparation for his participation on the panel, including an introductory class research paper he authored on the Arctic security topic that Kuhn said helped him create the framework for his presentation.
Kuhn’s paper entitled “Arctic Access: Securing the Arctic Through Alaska” explored how the U.S. could increase its security advantage and reduce vulnerability in a region that has seen an estimated 400 percent increase in military, security, and economic activity in the past decade. The Arctic border embodies a near-peer environment where adversaries such as Russia and China are operating at higher activity levels in a bid to gain the global advantage.
The paper reviewed how “reinforcing domain awareness, defense and security coordination, and community engagement through border security measures in the Alaska region reduces vulnerability in the Arctic” using an approach involving a “combination of Arctic security and defense domain analysis, relevant current event reviews, illustrated partnership examples, and economic examination.”
While in New York, Kuhn said he was able to meet with a couple of his CHDS classmates. NYPD Det. Michael Bia showed him Rockefeller Center as they were able to grab a quick cup of coffee while Mike told Chris about the amazing history of NYC. The following day, during Chris’ visit to the NYPD’s Real-Time Crime Center, he was able to say hi to his classmate, Grace Bristol, a NYPD Intelligence Research Specialist at the New York High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) office. Later that day, Kuhn had a moment to visit the 9/11 memorial, reflect on the event that both changed his life and confirmed his calling to do whatever he could to contribute to the security of the greatest nation in history.
“One of the awesome parts of the [CHDS] program is the relationships that we make along the way. I appreciate that Mike and Grace took a moment out of their day to connect for a minute,” he said. “I think that it’s a transformative opportunity to study homeland defense and security, interact with everyone in the program, and dedicate the time needed to further contribute to security and defense solutions for the United States of America.”
