UK's gaps in Arctic defence leave it open to Russian attacks, committee warns
A report by MPs urges the UK to address capability gaps including a lack of Royal Navy warships and submarines, as Russia seeks to dominate the region.
UK’s Arctic defence shortcomings leave it exposed to Russian strikes, committee warns
The UK has "glaring gaps" in its capacity to defend the Arctic region, according to a report by MPs, which warns this leaves it vulnerable to possible Russian attacks.
The Commons Defence Committee said a lack of Royal Navy warships and submarines is leaving the nation’s critical infrastructure in the High North, including undersea cables and energy supplies, exposed.
If conflict breaks out, the report said Russia could threaten the UK’s population, civilian and military infrastructure, and essential supply routes across the Atlantic from the US.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it is "clear-eyed about the threat Russia posed" and is investing heavily to safeguard Britain’s undersea cables.
Former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had earlier warned that Russia could attack Nato by the end of the decade.
The High North - which includes the Arctic circle and nearby areas - has become a major focus of UK defence concerns in recent years.
Earlier this year, the MoD said Russian submarine activity in the North Atlantic has returned to Cold War-era levels.
In the new report, MPs pointed to a "shockingly low availability" of submarines and said there had been a temporary loss of the ability to operate them beneath Arctic ice.
"Russia can then use the ice to conceal and protect its own submarines while threatening Nato sea lanes, UK critical infrastructure and the UK's nuclear deterrent," it added.
Tan Dhesi, chair of the Defence Committee, said: "This is a demanding, hostile environment, and one that our greatest adversary, Russia, is seeking to dominate for military advantage."
He added that the work to close these gaps "cannot start soon enough."
Given uncertainty over US support for Nato, the report said the UK should consider whether the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force (Jef), a UK-led military coalition of northern European nations, should place greater emphasis on the High North.
An MoD spokesperson said the Jef was already "strengthening Nato's northern flank and increasing our ability to respond rapidly to emerging threats".
Conservative shadow minister for war readiness Stuart Anderson said: "If Nato could be at war with Russia as soon as 2030, as the former prime minister warned, that means time is just as important as money.
"To deter war we must be ready for it, that means spending money now, not kicking the can down the road until it's too late".