The UK should strengthen its military presence in high latitudes amid increasing competition between global players in the Arctic. According to the Financial Times, the British government will receive such recommendations from the authors of the upcoming Integrated Review of the UK's Security, Defense and Foreign Policy.
Citing sources familiar with the draft document, the publication reports that it will also highlight the need for investment in unmanned technology and advanced military developments. It may also be advisable to restructure the UK's cyber capabilities to avoid competition for resources and personnel between different agencies.
According to Ed Arnold, a research fellow at the London-based Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI), Britain is facing increasing pressure from its northern European allies, who are concerned about US President Donald Trump's policies.
“They expect us to expand our military presence there because in terms of intelligence and surveillance, as well as anti-submarine warfare, we are the only ones who can mitigate the effect of diverting some of the US resources to the Indo-Pacific region,“ he told the publication.
In March 2023 The UK cabinet, then formed by members of the now opposition Conservative Party, published an updated version of the Integrated Review of Security, Defence and Foreign Policy. The 63-page document states that the UK’s foreign policy priority in the medium term will remain focused on the threat Russia is perceived to pose to European security and global order. The review stresses that the UK intends to maintain its position as a leading member of NATO for the next 10 years and to set an example for other countries by increasing the military support it provides to Kiev.