Britain has serious gaps in its military capability in the High North and cannot be sure it could meet its commitments there, a House of Commons Defence Committee report warned on Thursday, as Russia seeks to dominate the Arctic region for military advantage.
The committee, chaired by Labour MP Tan Dhesi, said the Ministry of Defence had accepted a serious anti-submarine warfare gap, with only five towed-array sonar frigates in service against a requirement of eight. It called for no more of the ageing Type 23 frigates to be retired until each is replaced by a new Type 26, and warned that the UK had let its under-ice submarine capability lapse. Low availability of destroyers, frigates and attack submarines also raised doubts about readiness, the report said.
“The UK needs to be willing to address a hard truth: it does not currently have all the capabilities to operate successfully in the High North,” Dhesi said. He added that if the government believes Russia could attack Nato as soon as 2030, work to fix the weaknesses “cannot start soon enough.”
The report warned that failing to deter Russia could leave subsea data cables, energy pipelines, the nuclear deterrent and Atlantic resupply routes from the United States exposed. It urged the government to consider refocusing the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force on the High North, particularly given uncertainty over US support for Nato, and said Britain may need to expand its army deployment in Estonia to brigade strength.
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