Search and Rescue in the Arctic

Is the U.S. Prepared?

Timothy William James Smith

ResearchPublished Jun 19, 2017

In 2011, the U.S. signed the Arctic Search and Rescue (SAR) Agreement, a landmark treaty that gives the U.S. responsibility for conducting SAR in a slice of territory that surrounds Alaska and stretches to the North Pole. This agreement coincides with rapid economic, environmental, and military changes that have the potential to bring more people into the Arctic region. Increased human activity in the extremely remote and inherently risky region raises the question: is the U.S. prepared to handle its SAR responsibilities in the Arctic?

To address U.S. preparedness for the Arctic SAR mission set, this dissertation examines three research questions:

  1. What is the current demand for Arctic SAR, and what factors affect its future trajectory?
  2. What is the current U.S. capability for supplying SAR in the Arctic, and how is it changing?
  3. Is the U.S. able to respond effectively to a challenging set of potential future Arctic SAR cases?

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Smith, Timothy William James, Search and Rescue in the Arctic: Is the U.S. Prepared? Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2017. https://www.rand.org/pubs/rgs_dissertations/RGSD382.html.
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This document was submitted as a dissertation in September 2016 in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the doctoral degree in public policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. The faculty committee that supervised and approved the dissertation consisted of Abbie Tingstad (Chair), Brien Alkire, and Scott Stephenson.

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