Russia, Norway to Hold Joint Naval Exercises. From May 11 to May 16, Russia and Norway are to hold joint naval exercises Pomor-2012 in the Barents and Norwegian seas.  The exercises will involve Russia's large anti-submarine ship Admiral Chabanenko and the Norwegian frigate Fridtjof Nansen. Such maneuvers are being be held for the 4th time. From the Russian part, the exercises will also involve a rescue tug, anti-submarine aircraft, including Su-33 carrier based fighters, Il-38 anti-submarine aircraft and Ka-27 helicopters. The key goal of the exercises is to practice coordination between Russian and Norwegian Navies and Air Forces in the Arctic region, spokesman for the Northern Fleet, Captain Vadim Serga says: "The exercises are targeted at mastering skills for anti-terrorist missions. They include search operations with the participation of marines, the rescue of a merchant ship from armed extremists, as well as escort duties, coast guard interception of high-speed motor boats and rescue operations. The helicopters' crews will train landings on the decks of Russian and Norwegian ships." Voice of Russia 

Panetta: U.S. Leadership Needed in Law of the Sea Convention. As the globe's preeminent maritime power, the United States has much to gain in ratifying the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said here May 9. Panetta spoke at the Law of the Sea Convention forum. Ratifying the treaty, he said, would allow the United States to exert a leadership role in the development and interpretation of the rules that determine legal certainty on the world's oceans. Panetta listed five reasons why the Law of the Sea Convention strengthens U.S. national security. Defense Pro 

White House Calls High Seas Treaty a Tool Against Iran, Russia. The Obama administration on Wednesday used an obscure high-seas treaty to take aim at global rivals Iran, for its threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, and Russia, for its rush to claim natural resources exposed by the Arctic ice melt, while also dangling an olive branch before a domestic rival in hopes of winning the treaty's passage in the U.S. Senate. The White House deployed top Pentagon leaders to make the point that approving the treaty, the United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Seas, would give Washington a new tool to combat Iran, China, and Russia. And in a deft political move, the defense brass also noted that U.S. firms stand to rake in greater profits if the Senate acts. US News & World Report  

Hopes Buoyed for Ratification of UN 'Constitution for the Seas.' Many in Washington had given up on Senate ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea, because Republican opponents had prevented the treaty from reaching the Senate floor twice during the past decade. But hopes for ratification have been revived, with the launch of a new campaign backed by Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, some of the nation's top corporate leaders and a former Senate GOP leader. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is expected to hold hearings sometime this year on the 1982 treaty, which maritime legal experts have called "a constitution for the seas." Ratified by 162 countries, the treaty establishes universal legal standards for shipping, fishing and mining and also codifies customary navigation and transit principles already followed by most countries. Other nations that have not ratified it include North Korea, Libya and Iran. Congressional Quarterly

The Arctic Imperative Summit, August 24-28, 2012. The summit will be hosted by Alaska Dispatch and will bring together leading voices in this conversation, including residents from the small villages that comprise Alaska's coastal communities, state, national and international leaders, the heads of shipping and industry, as well as international policymakers and the news media. The goal of the summit is to sharpen the focus on the policy and investment needs of Alaska's Arctic through a series of high level meetings, presentations, investor roundtables and original research. Click here.