The unique dual-nature aspect of search and rescue enables competing frames: Russia, the USA, and the cruise industry

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe provision of search and rescue (SAR) services is one way in which states ensure the security of citizens within national areas of sovereignty. In the maritime Arctic, a blend of military and civilian agencies has been delegated responsibility for the SAR mission by the eight Arctic states. The joint aspect of SAR permits enhancements to SAR capacity to be framed as both reassuring improvements on safety in the Arctic and as alarming militarization of the region. The dual framing is particularly active in the US–Russia dyad, in which each state’s media contributes to alarming frames of the other’s behavior. However, bureaucratic framing by both Russian and US governments emphasizes cooperation in SAR and the costs of effective SAR capabilities. Finally, the cruise industry, as a prominent consumer of SAR missions, frames SAR in the Arctic entirely differently. This paper argues that the unique civil–military aspects of SAR in the Arctic enable competing and confusing frames to persist, with possible ramifications to the policy process around improving safety and security in the region.