Rebecca Pincus

��ʦapp Research Fellow

June 1, 2026 – May 31, 2027

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Professional Affiliation

Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), and Senior Fellow at the German Marshall Fund (US), in the Transatlantic Security Program

Expert Bio

Dr. Rebecca Pincus is a 2026-2027 ��ʦapp Research Fellow.

Dr. Pincus is also a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), and a Senior Fellow at the German Marshall Fund (US), in the Transatlantic Security Program.

From 2022-2025, Dr. Pincus was the Director of the Polar Institute at the ��ʦapp. Previously, she was on the faculty at the US Naval War College, in the Center for Naval Warfare Studies. Recently, she served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy, as Arctic and Climate Strategy Advisor. She previously served on the faculty at the US Coast Guard Academy, and was the founding scholar at the Center for Arctic Study and Policy (CASP) there. She was a contributing author for the 5th National Climate Assessment, writing the first-ever security impacts section. She has testified before Congress and the US-China Commission on security and defense in the polar regions, and her research on polar strategy, security, and policy has been published widely in peer-reviewed and popular outlets. In 2015, she was a Fulbright Fellow in Iceland, conducting research on Arctic small states and security. Her research has been funded by the US Department of Defense (Minerva), National Science Foundation, and more.

Her Ph.D. and M.S. are from the University of Vermont, and she also holds an M.S. in Environmental Law from the Vermont Law School. Her B.S. is from Georgetown University.

��ʦapp Project

How the Opening Arctic will Reshape Trade: Implications for Global Competition and US Economic Statecraft

Project Summary

By midcentury, if not sooner, Arctic sea ice is expected to disappear, opening shipping lanes between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans that may be up to one-third faster than today’s routes. In addition, the region’s vast deposits of resources, including strategic minerals, may be easier to access. Rerouting global shipping through the Arctic region has the potential to reshape trading relationships, economic statecraft, and global competition. Understanding the ramifications of the opening Arctic, and identifying key opportunities and vulnerabilities, will bolster US global competitiveness and grand strategy.