Russia's Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) says it will deploy 11 new silo and mobile-launched Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missiles to the European part of Russia in 2008.

A Russian Tupolev-95 Bear bomber flew some 2,000 feet over the USS Nimitz in the western Pacific ocean. A total of four of the bombers were in the area at the time. Four U.S. F/A-18A fighters were in the air at the time of the fly-over. A Russian official claimed there was no violation of flight regulations by the bombers.

Russia announces intent to resume a worldwide naval presence when Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov informed President Putin that, "There are plans to dispatch ships to the northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea from now to February 3, 2008."

Russia holds true to its word and flies eight strategic bombers into NATO-patrolled airspace. First Norwegian and then British fighter jets are scrambled to intercept and shadow the Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear" bombers.

Russia says that on Thursday, September 6 it will resume patrolling its remote areas with its long-range Tu-95MS Bear-H strategic bombers. If comments made by U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack are to be believed, America is not too concerned with the implications of this move. McCormack says, "If Russia feels as though they want to take some of these old aircraft out of mothballs and get them flying again, that's their decision."

UK fighter jets shadowed two Russian Bear-H aircraft the previous week.

Denmark announces a scientific expedition to assert its ownership of parts of the Arctic. Evidence will be collected to support claims that parts of Greenland extend under the polar icecap.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announces plans to build two military bases in the Arctic. One is a training facility while the other is a deep-water port at Nanisivik near the eastern entrance of the "fabled" Northwest Passage.

Russian strategic aviation exercises with fly-overs of the North Pole and test firing of eight (8) cruise missiles.

In addition, Russia flew two strategic bombers over a U.S. military base in Guam announcing it is resuming regular long-haul missions to areas patrolled by NATO and the United States.

Russia claims to have planted a titanium flag at the bottom of the Arctic Sea at a depth of about 4,200 meters (or 14,000 feet) under the North Pole.

Russia announces efforts to claim a much larger part of the Arctic Circle than international law currently allows. Current international law recognizes a restriction to 200 mile economic zones around coastlines. A Russian submarine is expected to arrive at the North Pole on Sunday July 29, 2007 to plant a flag on the bottom of the ocean and symbolically stake a claim to the large Arctic energy reserves.

Russia withdraws from the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty which governs deployment of troops on the European continent. Citing "extraordinary circumstances... which affect the security of the Russian Federation and require immediate measures," Russia will no longer be required to limit the number of its conventional weapons or allow for NATO inspections of its military sites.

Russian Strategic Missile Forces tested new ICBMs capable of carrying multiple independent warheads. Afterwards, Russian officials announced that their new strategic and tactical cruise missiles can penetrate any defense system. Recently, Russia has been stongly opposed to the United State's on-going efforts to build a missile defense shield, with components of the system located in Europe.