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UK will bolster troops in Norway to counter Russian threat

Jessica Rawnsley
PA Media A group of people board a grey army helicopter in Norway with snowy mountains in the backgroundPA Media

The UK government has pledged to increase its military presence in Norway over the next three years, as part of efforts to combat Russian threats in the region.

Defence Secretary John Healey said the number of British troops stationed in Norway will increase from 1,000 to 2,000 personnel.

According to Healey, Moscow is "rapidly re-establishing military presence in the region, including reopening old Cold War bases".

His concern is echoed across Europe. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago, the continent has seen an increase in Kremlin aggression.

"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 High North includes the Arctic circle and areas adjacent to it, it is a term used to describe the northernmost part of the globe.

The defence secretary will join his Nato counterparts at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the proposals.

The announcement comes weeks after a rift between European allies and Washington over Greenland, which is also in the Arctic.

US President Donald Trump had threatened to take over Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, citing alleged threats from Russia and China. He has since appeared to back down from plans to annex Greenland.

The Arctic Sentry mission, proposed by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, aims to bolster surveillance and security in the region - modelled on existing Nato alliances such as the Baltic Sentry and the Eastern Sentry.

As part of the expanded presence in the region, 1,500 Royal Marine Commandos will take part in Nato's Exercise Cold Response in March. The large-scale drill across Norway, Finland and Sweden is designed to train allied forces in extreme Arctic conditions.

In September, the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force will conduct an exercise known as Lion Protector involving air, land and naval forces from several European nations.

The government says that operation will train armed forces to defend critical infrastructure against attacks and sabotage across Norway, Iceland and the Danish straits.

The UK and its Nato allies have become increasingly concerned about the risk Moscow poses to underwater cables and pipelines, amid heightened tensions following the invasion of Ukraine.

Last year, the UK and Norway signed a defence pact aimed at protecting undersea cables which will see the two nation's navies operate a combined fleet to track Russian submarines.

There has been a 30% rise in Russian submarines in UK waters over the past two years, according to the MoD.

The defence ministry has said Russian submarine activity in the North Atlantic is now back to the same levels as the Cold War era.


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