The phrase “climate change” doesn’t appear once in recently released Arctic strategies from the Coast Guard and the Navy, but military leaders are preparing for it nonetheless.

Although the new Arctic strategies from the Navy and the Coast Guard highlight rapid changes in the region, they also both shy away from attributing many of the increasing challenges to climate change. But admirals from the two services recently spoke to increasing demands for presence in the region — which they explicitly attributed to climate change.

Earlier this month at the Sea-Air-Space exposition near Washington, D.C., maritime leaders addressed the question directly.

“The Arctic is a very dynamic situation in response to this climate change,” said Adm. John Richardson, the chief of naval operations for the Navy. “Seaways are open that weren’t open before — had not been open in our lifetime. The Arctic ice cap is as small as it’s ever been since we started measuring it. Continental shelves that are exposed that were not exposed before.”

The changes mandate a response from U.S. maritime forces in particular, he said. Read more at ArcticToday.