
Patrolling the Arctic with the Canadian military
From The Decibel by The Globe and Mail
June 5, 2026 · 27 min
About this episode
Gavin John discusses his experience patrolling the Arctic with Canadian rangers and the unique military strategies required for arctic security.
As Canada builds out its military, there has been an increasing focus on arctic security. But military strategies that work in the southern part of the country do not always work in the North. Gavin John was embedded in a patrol with Canadian rangers as part of Operation Nanook-Nunalivut. John, who covers national defence for The Globe, shares what it was like to patrol more than 1,000 km in the Arctic on a snowmobile and why a small group of rangers are an important component of Canada’s military strategy. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com
People in this episode
Guest: Gavin John
Topics covered
- arctic security
- military strategy
- Canadian rangers
- national defence
- Operation Nanook-Nunalivut
Keywords
- Arctic
- Canadian military
- Gavin John
- Operation Nanook-Nunalivut
- national defence
- military strategy
- Canadian rangers
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Globe, Canadian military
Places: Canada
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