UK MoD faces ‘serious’ ASW gap as Defence Committee outlines Arctic requirements
Royal Marines from 30 Commando Information Exploitation Group approach German Navy Type 212A submarine U35 during Exercise Cold Response in Norway. (Photo: Crown Copyright)
Anti-submarine warfare, uncrewed vessels and seabed monitoring top the demand list in the Defence Committee’s High North roadmap for the 2030s.
The retreat of Arctic ice is turning the High North from a region of low tension into a contested maritime theatre, and the House of Commons Defence Committee’s report on defence in the region reads like a procurement roadmap.
The committee judged that the Arctic and High North were likely to be ice-free in the warmest months of each year by 2040, “providing access to more actors and creating a new site for competition within the UK’s wider neighbourhood”.
It also concluded that climatic change was “accelerating commercial rivalry in the region”.
Melting ice becomes defence demand
NATO has recently highlighted
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