As the last saltie slips under the Aerial Lift Bridge this month, racing to beat the ice on Lake Superior, it is easy to view the ritual as merely economic. We count the tonnages of taconite and grain, check the grain prices in Europe, and settle in for winter.

But, here in late 2025, looking at the harbor solely through the lens of commerce is a dangerous nostalgia. That water connecting Minnesotans to the Atlantic Ocean is no longer just a trade route. It is a flank.

For decades, military strategists have dismissed the Great Lakes as the safe industrial heartland because distance and friendly neighbors insulate us. That era ended this year. While we were watching the shipping season wind down, the geopolitics of the Arctic were heating up. Just last month, reports confirmed that Chines

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