increasingly militarised approach to the region; and China is supporting its proposed Polar Silk Road with a range of infrastructure and capabilities that have dual-use potential. As the region becomes increasingly accessible, threats from elsewhere around the globe could spill over into the Arctic. We must be able to respond appropriately to the changing regional dynamic arising from the receding sea ice. As a leading European NATO Ally, the UK will defend our Arctic Allies should the need arise, and contest malign and destabilising behaviours and activity that threatens our interests, the interests of our Allies, and the stability of the region. That is why the UK Armed Forces will be doing more with our close Arctic Allies and partners, as part of NATO, bilaterally, and through other multilateral groupings such as the Joint Expeditionary force. The Royal Navy, including our dedicated Littoral Response Group (North), will periodically operate in the High North alongside Allies and partners, the Army will expand its cold weather training, and the RAF will deploy P-8A Maritime Patrol Aircraft to the region and continue participating in Icelandic Air Policing. The unique environment of the Arctic continues to present operational challenges, requiring new approaches and solutions. UK Defence will build on recent investments, including in our new P-8A Maritime Patrol Aircraft and our new Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance vessel, and identifying opportunities offered by space technologies. The Arctic, known to some (primarily but not exclusively in the United Kingdom) as the ‘High North,’ is a critical operational theatre for Western and NATO security. Russian activity in the region has dramatically increased in recent years; new players, such as India, are closely observing activity and even staking claims in the region; global tensions – such as those instigated and increasingly exacerbated by the events of February and March in Ukraine – spill over into the area; and nations that have largely ignored the Arctic as a secondary theatre in recent years are scrambling to evolve, define and promulgate cohesive and comprehensive statements of policy. The View from London It is a rare thing for this editor, at least, to give way to a political commentator. But in his Foreword to the British Ministry of Defence’s latest document on the subject – The UK’s Defence Contribution in the High North – published on 29 March, the Rt Hon Ben Wallace, MP, Secretary of State for Defence, lays out so clear and compelling a use case for Britain’s attitude to the area that it is worth quoting in extenso. “The High North, including the Arctic, matters to the UK and UK Defence. Developments impact upon our environment, prosperity, energy supply, and security. As the region’s closest neighbour without territory within the Arctic Circle, the UK will continue to work with our Allies and partners to ensure that increasing access to the region and its resources is managed safely, sustainably, and responsibly. The Arctic has historically been an area of low tension and we wish it to remain so. However, melting sea ice in the Arctic brings threats as well as opportunities: Russia is taking an Tim Mahon is Editor-in-Chief of Military Technology. The last time he was in the ‘High North’ he left a deal of skin on a tank! Tim Mahon In Defence of the Arctic Feature MT 2/2022 · 19 One of the Royal Norwegian Navy’s six Skjold-class corvettes on a recent NATO exercise. (Photos Mönch archive except where stated) Members of a German paratrooper reconnaissance platoon during Exercise Cold Response. Three US and Royal Navy submarines demonstrating their precision location capabilities in the Arctic. f h
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