While visiting Royal Marines and Royal Navy personnel on
winter training in Norway, the Defence Secretary announced
that as part of their first deployment next year the RAF P8
Maritime Patrol Aircraft will be in the Arctic to counter
Russian submarine activity that has reached Cold War
levels.
This deployment is part of the Defence Arctic Strategy,
which will be published this spring, deepening our
relationship with regional partners and sharpen our
expertise of operating in the extreme cold environment.
Defence Secretary said:
The Arctic Strategy puts us on the front foot in
protecting Britain’s interests in this expanding new
frontier.
Whether it’s sharpening our skills in sub-zero
conditions, learning from longstanding allies like Norway
or monitoring submarine threats with our Poseidon
aircraft, we will stay vigilant to new challenges.
Nine of the P8 Poseidon aircraft will be delivered to RAF
Lossiemouth in 2020 at which point they will begin
reconnaissance patrols over a wide range including the High
North and North Atlantic.
While in Norway the Defence Secretary also met with the
elite commandos of the Royal Marines and discussed the
unique challenge of honing their combat skills hundreds of
miles inside the Arctic Circle where temperatures drop as
low as -30°C.
As part of the Defence Arctic Strategy, the Royal Marines
have committed to a 10-year training programme with their
Norwegian counterparts, which will see around 1,000 Marines
travelling North each year. A long-term NATO ally, Norway
is also a fellow member of the Joint Expeditionary Force
and Northern Group – two initiatives through which the UK
is enhancing its co-operation with key northern European
partners.
Elsewhere in the region this year, RAF Typhoons will guard
NATO’s northern flank as part of the Icelandic Air Policing
mission.
