will double its military deployment in Norway

The British Defense Secretary, Juan Healeyhas justified this change in policy by ensuring that “defense needs are increasing and Russia represents the greatest threat to the security of the Arctic and the North that we have seen since the end of the Cold War.”

Healey reported this during a visit to Camp Viking, the base that the British ‘Royal Marines’ commandos maintain in the Norwegian part of the Arctic Circle.

This announcement means doubling the number of troops available in the area, going from 1000 soldiers deployed to reach 2000 soldiersin a process that will be completed over three years.

British Marines lead the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), in the Arctic Sea, an alliance that also includes Nordic and Baltic countries, but is not part of NATO.

The JEF has detected “important military activities in the Greater Arctic, which includes the Arctic Sea and the surrounding area. Given this situation, the British-led force will begin air, land and naval exercises next September to “protect critical national infrastructure from attacks and sabotage.”

Healey himself, speaking at Camp Viking, stated that “We see that Vladimir Putin is rapidly reestablishing his military presence in the area, even reopening old Cold War bases,” which has led to this joint decision, as he explained.

Norway fears Russian expansion

The head of the Norwegian Armed Forces, Eirik Kristoffersenhas been cryptic about the possibility of Russia trying to occupy its territory, during an interview in The Guardian.

“We do not exclude an occupation of territory by Russia as part of their plan to protect their own nuclear capabilities, the only thing they have left that really threatens the United States,” Kristoffersen said.

The head of the Norwegian army is aware that this threat weighs on his country, although to a lesser extent with respect to Ukraine or other former Soviet territories, although he recalled that the Kremlin has military force on the Kola Peninsula.

For all these reasons, he has stated that Oslo and Moscow must keep communication open to avoid misunderstandings, especially if Russia were to enter into conflict with NATO.

The United Kingdom’s announcement, in any case, does not mention at any time the island of Greenland, which has generated so much controversy lately due to the expansionist objective of Donald Trump, who intends for it to be property of the United States.

In this regard, the United Kingdom has committed itself, due to intense pressure from the United States, to increase its defense spending until it reaches 2.7% starting in 2027, an increase that other countries like Spain are reluctant to apply.