The Northwest Passage remains a submarine contest under noisy ice

What is Cyclic's response to the claim that the United States has made no plans to defend the western Northwest Passage against Russian or Chinese activity?

He points to under-ice SSN operations and the constraints ice imposes on surface and airborne attacks, then notes the dispute with Canada over the passage's status.

The question is initially misread as the Northwest Pacific before being clarified to the Northwest Passage. Cyclic answers in terms of SSN operations under the ice, and claims greater routine American experience than Russian or Chinese experience at the time. Ice noise and restricted surface access complicate attacks on a submarine beneath it. A surface ship cannot simply approach within lightweight-torpedo range, and an aircraft cannot drop a weapon through solid ice. The final qualification concerns the American-Canadian disagreement over the passage's status; the participants do not examine the legal categories in detail.