... we stand on guard for thee...

So I'm reading up on some Canadian military exercises in the arctic. I like to keep abreast of the happenings up there you know. Apparently with the polar ice melt going on that region is becoming of increasing stratigic importance. An actual northwest passage.

As I read this article I thought to myself, 'self, what is the biggest threat facing Canadas finest in any looming potential arctic conflict? Russians? inclimate weather? No. It is none of the above.

"This is where the Canadian Rangers, in their distinctive red sweatshirts and caps, come into their own. Reservists from northern communities, they make up the bulk of Canada’s permanent military presence in the Arctic. “we watch out for bears" says Tom Buzzell, a ranger from Haines Junction in the Yukon territory. In the Yukon, grizzlies and black bears are the threat. Here on rocky and treeless Baffin Island, it’s polar bears."