UK must expand its Arctic military position, defence review to say

The UK must expand its military footprint in the Arctic and High North as the region becomes increasingly contested owing to melting sea ice opening up access, the government’s defence review is set to advise, Report informs via Financial Times.

The document is expected to call for significant investment in drones and cutting-edge technology, against a backdrop of a new era of state conflict, according to people familiar with it. The review will affirm the UK’s “NATO first” approach to defence, prioritising the security of Britain’s own backyard in the Euro-Atlantic area and fulfilling obligations to the alliance.

John Healey, defence secretary, has previously been scornful of the last Conservative administration’s “tilt” towards the Indo-Pacific in its defence and foreign policy. The review is being led by an independent team headed by former Nato secretary-general Lord George Robertson, and was asked to examine the threats facing Britain, the capabilities needed to meet them, as well as the state of the armed forces.

The review has been heavily affected by US President Donald Trump’s shift in security policy, including his intention to scale down American military resources based in Europe. There has been wrangling over the timing of the review’s publication, which the government promised in the first half of 2025. Described by defence officials as an “iterative process”, a fourth version was submitted to ministers on March 10, people familiar with the matter said. Focusing on the Atlantic region, the review will recommend the UK steps up military activity in the High North, including the Arctic, the people said.

New shipping routes are opening up owing to ice melt, making the region’s rich natural resources, spanning oil, gas, minerals and rare earth metals, more accessible. This has stoked competition for influence and control among rivals, including the US, Russia, China and northern European nations. The UK has already expressed concerns about Russia’s escalating militarisation of the region, and Healey travelled to Norway in February to discuss boosting its security. Trump has, meanwhile, heaped pressure on Denmark to cede control of the Arctic island of Greenland to the US, sparking a diplomatic row.