Ben Wallace: Britain to boost its military presence in Arctic
March 29, 2022, 3:18 pm

Ben Wallace: Britain to boost its military presence in Arctic

Robert Ben Lobban Wallace is a British Conservative Party politician currently serving as Secretary of State for Defence since 24 July 2019 and Member of Parliament for Wyre and Preston North, formerly Lancaster and Wyre, since 2005 (File photo: Facebook page)

The Euronews reported, citing Reuters, defence minister Ben Wallace said on Tuesday, Britain plans to increase its military presence in the Arctic, amid increased concerns among NATO allies about Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.

Britain would commit militarily “to deeper integration, interoperability with countries such as Norway” to protect the seas of the North Atlantic, Wallace told a news conference in Bardufoss, northern Norway.

He said, adding the force would likely rotate between Norway, Sweden, Finland and elsewhere in the region: “We are going to effectively, permanently, have a … Marine strike group permanently … active in the Nordics.”

Wallace was speaking while visiting a NATO exercise in Arctic Norway involving 30,000 troops.

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The biennial “Cold Response” exercise has taken on added significance because of the invasion of Ukraine. NATO-member Norway shares a border with Russia in the Arctic.

Wallace said: “Our Arctic strategy commits us to more training and working together."

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He added: “I think we’ll be in the area a lot more. Our ambition is bold and we will make sure that we are there to answer the demand if called upon."

Norwegian Defence Minister Odd Roger Enoksen welcomed the commitment.

Enoksen said: “We want more allied activity up north."

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While tensions in the Arctic region have been low, Norwegian leaders have been concerned that a confrontation between NATO and Russia could spill over in the Arctic, where both sides have increased their military presence in recent years.

Source: euronews

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.