London to increase troops in Norway to counter Russia’s "Arctic ambitions"

The United Kingdom plans to double the number of its troops stationed in Norway over the next three years as part of broader efforts to counter what it sees as growing Russian threats in the High North.

Defence Secretary John Healey said the British military presence in the Arctic nation will increase from about 1,000 personnel to roughly 2,000. The decision comes amid rising concern among NATO allies over Russia’s expanding activity in the Arctic, including the reopening of former Cold War-era bases and a strengthened military footprint across the region.

“Demands on defence are rising, and Russia poses the greatest threat to Arctic and High North security that we have seen since the Cold War,” Healey said.

The defence secretary is due to discuss the proposals with his NATO counterparts when they meet at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels on February 12.

The expanded deployment forms part of a broader security concept known as Arctic Sentry, proposed by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. The initiative is intended to strengthen surveillance and security in the region and is modelled on existing NATO frameworks such as the Baltic Sentry and the Eastern Sentry.

As part of the increased presence, 1,500 Royal Marine Commandos will participate in NATO’s Exercise Cold Response in March. The large-scale exercise, taking place across Norway, Finland and Sweden, is designed to train allied forces to operate in extreme Arctic conditions.

In addition, the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force is scheduled to carry out an exercise called Lion Protector in September. The operation will involve air, land and naval forces from several European countries and will focus on defending critical infrastructure against attacks and sabotage across Norway, Iceland and the Danish straits.

Concerns among the UK and its NATO allies have intensified over the potential threat Russia poses to undersea cables and pipelines, particularly in the context of heightened tensions following the invasion of Ukraine.

Last year, the UK and Norway signed a bilateral defence pact aimed at protecting undersea cables. Under the agreement, the two countries’ navies will operate a combined fleet tasked with tracking Russian submarines.

According to the Ministry of Defence, Russian submarine activity in UK waters has increased by 30% over the past two years. The ministry has also said that Russian submarine operations in the North Atlantic have now returned to levels last seen during the Cold War.

By Tamilla Hasanova