UK media: Britain to double troop presence in Norway to 2,000

【Global Times Report by Reporter Zhou Yang】The BBC reported on the 11th that the UK will double the number of its troops stationed in Norway over the next three years, increasing from approximately 1,000 to 2,000, in response to the so-called growing military threat from Russia in the High North region.

UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace will discuss the relevant plans with allied defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels on the 12th. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has proposed the "Arctic Sentinel" initiative, aimed at strengthening surveillance and security mechanisms in the region, modeled after existing NATO mechanisms such as the "Baltic Sentinel" and "Eastern Sentinel." UK media reports that this initiative aims to enhance regional security and respond to concerns previously expressed by US President Trump regarding the security of Greenland.

As part of the troop deployment increase, 1,500 Royal Marines Commandos will participate in NATO's "Cold Response" exercise in March. This large-scale exercise will take place in Norway, Finland, and Sweden, aimed at enhancing operational capabilities in extreme Arctic environments. 

Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the UK and its NATO allies have continuously claimed that Russia poses a threat to undersea cables and pipelines. In 2025, the UK and Norway signed a defense agreement, and the two navies will form a joint fleet to jointly track Russian submarines.