The United Kingdom has moved to strengthen its Arctic defence posture through closer military collaboration with Norway, as Russia accelerates efforts to dominate strategic northern maritime routes.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy, during a two-day visit to Norway and Iceland, underscored the Arctic’s growing significance as a critical frontier in NATO’s northern defences.
“The Arctic is fast becoming an area of intense focus for geopolitical competition – and a key flank of NATO’s defences,” Lammy said in Tromsø, while aboard the Norwegian coastguard ship KV Bergen. The visit comes amid renewed attention on Moscow’s expanding military infrastructure in the region and concerns about its long-term intentions.
One tangible effect of the UK’s pressure campaign was revealed on Tuesday, when the Foreign Office announced that sanctions had forced the Vengery tugboat—intended to tow a 200-metre-long Russian floating dock to Murmansk—back to Russia. The dock, critical for servicing Russia’s nuclear-powered ice-breakers, remains stranded in the Mediterranean. The disruption illustrates the UK’s intent to complicate Russian logistical operations in the High North.
Russia’s broader strategy hinges on controlling the Northern Sea Route (NSR), a maritime corridor that significantly shortens the distance between Europe and Asia during the ice-free season. To this end, Moscow has been investing in nuclear-powered ice-breakers and modernising its Northern Fleet, based in Severomorsk. The fleet includes 18 nuclear-powered submarines and surface vessels, some equipped with hypersonic Tsirkon missiles with a range of 1,000 km.
Ed Arnold of the Royal United Services Institute noted that Russia had a decade-long head start in Arctic militarisation prior to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “Putin got the drop on NATO with a decade of remilitarisation in the Arctic,” Arnold said. However, the war in Ukraine has imposed significant costs on the Russian military, potentially offering NATO a strategic opening. “If you invest and take this seriously now, you could potentially ensure supremacy in the Arctic for the long term.”
Since 2022, Russia has intensified aerial and naval patrols in the Arctic, occasionally provoking close encounters with NATO member forces. Norwegian authorities have reported several incidents of Russian vessels operating near their ships without prior radio contact. Russian UAVs have also been deployed along the 124-mile border with Norway, a tactic seemingly inspired by drone warfare developments in Ukraine.
Such actions are characterised by Western analysts as “overt posturing”, intended to signal Moscow’s willingness to contest control in the Arctic theatre. While the terrain limits the feasibility of large-scale armoured incursions, air and naval platforms allow Russia to project force with minimal ground deployment.
In response, the UK and Norway have reinforced their operational coordination. Earlier this month, both countries participated in NATO exercises in the Arctic Circle, conducting drills designed to intercept cruise missile threats. Norway has tabled a 12-year plan to increase defence spending, acquiring new anti-drone and anti-submarine systems. The UK, for its part, has deployed P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and continues to share advanced defence technologies with its northern ally.
There are growing indications that London’s Strategic Defence Review, due later this year, may recommend establishing a permanent British military presence in the Arctic. The proposed model resembles the existing UK deployment in Estonia under NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence framework. Such a force would provide a persistent deterrent and improve rapid response capabilities in the High North.
Analysts argue that deterrence will depend not only on headline exercises but also on continuous operational deployments. “What is actually going to worry Putin more will be the fact that—in three or four years’ time—the general operational activity in the High North has increased four-fold and continues to increase,” said Arnold.
This assessment is echoed by Per Erik Solli, a retired colonel in the Norwegian Air Force and an analyst at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. “You need naval ships, of course,” he said. “You need submarines and you need fighter jets, such as the F-35, that are capable of carrying anti-ship equipment. The number one priority in Norway is our navy.”
Beyond defence exercises, Lammy’s visit also included cooperation in technological domains. In Iceland, he is expected to announce a joint UK-Icelandic initiative to use artificial intelligence to detect hostile vessels in Arctic waters.
With climate change exposing new shipping lanes and resource deposits, the strategic importance of the Arctic is expected to grow. NATO planners now view the region not only as a buffer but as a potential flashpoint. As Western allies adapt their force posture, Britain’s deepening engagement with Arctic partners signals a long-term shift in the balance of deterrence.
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