Ben Wallace: Britain to boost its military presence in Arctic

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

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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