Arctic Frontlines with Iris Ferguson

In this episode of The Transponder, host Samuel George speaks with Arctic security expert Iris Ferguson about the rapidly changing strategic landscape of the Arctic as climate change, geopolitical competition, and new shipping routes reshape the region. Drawing on her decade of experience at the U.S. Department  of Defense, Ferguson examines rising military risks, the growing presence of Russia and China, and the implications of melting sea ice for global trade and national security. The conversation explores missile defense, Arctic infrastructure, critical minerals, indigenous communities, and the delicate balance between cooperation and competition among Arctic nations. From Greenland and Alaska to emerging transpolar routes, this epsiode offers a clear-eyed look at why the Arctic has become one of the most consequential frontiers in twenty-first-century geopolitics.