Russia deploys ships, aircraft to show force in arctic

The Arctic Ocean is quickly re-emerging as a strategic area where vital U.S. interests are at stake.

The geopolitical and geo-economic importance of the arctic region is rising rapidly, and its mineral wealth will likely transform the region into a booming economic frontier in the 21st century.

The arctic coasts and continental shelf are estimated to hold large deposits of oil, natural gas, methane hydrate -- natural gas -- clusters, and large quantities of valuable minerals.

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