Britainupdated 1h ago2 min read
Commons Defence Committee Warns UK’s Arctic Gaps Leave Russia Able To Attack High North
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Commons Defence Committee warns glaring gaps in UK Arctic defence risk Russian attacks. Shortage of Royal Navy ships and submarines leaves critical High North infrastructure vulnerable.
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Arctic gaps, Russia risk
The Commons Defence Committee warned that the UK has "glaring gaps" in its ability to defend the Arctic region, leaving it vulnerable to potential Russian attacks. The committee said a shortage of Royal Navy warships and submarines leaves critical infrastructure in the High North, including undersea cables and energy supplies, exposed. Russia could threaten the UK's population, civilian and military infrastructure and vital supply routes across the Atlantic from the US.
The Ministry of Defence said it is "clear-eyed about the threat Russia posed" and is investing heavily to protect Britain's undersea cables. The committee chairman Tan Dhesi said: "This is a demanding, hostile environment, and one that our greatest adversary, Russia, is seeking to dominate for military advantage."
Under-ice capability lapse
The Telegraph reported that MPs warned Royal Navy attack submarines are unable to fight Russia under Arctic ice because the Astute class submarines had not yet been certified to operate under ice. The UK had let its under-ice submarine capability "lapse at a time when the High North has become strategically more important". A Navy source told The Telegraph that hunter-killer submarines could not break ice to surface because they had not been fitted with sonar systems that would allow them to identify a suitable fissure.
The committee chairman Tan Dhesi said the UK "does not currently have all the capabilities to operate successfully in the High North". The committee warned that without a credible under-ice capability, Russia could use the ice to conceal and protect its own submarines while threatening Nato sea lanes, UK critical infrastructure and the nuclear deterrent.
Deterrence, spending, Jef
The report highlighted a "shockingly low availability" of submarines and a temporary loss in ability to operate them beneath Arctic ice. The report said the UK should consider whether the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force (Jef) should focus more on the High North in light of uncertainty over US support for Nato. Conservative shadow minister for war readiness Stuart Anderson said: "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."
The Independent said the committee urged ministers to achieve "dramatic progress" to strengthen UK armed forces and naval vessels in the strategically vital region before 2030. The committee questioned whether Jef should focus more on threats in the High North rather than maintaining the same level of activity in the Baltic region.