Maritime and space on the agenda as MPs quiz academics on defence in Scotland
Academics from the Universities of Dundee, St Andrews and Edinburgh will be giving evidence to the Scottish Affairs Committee in a session focused on maritime issues and space-based capabilities.
As part of the Committee’s inquiry into Defence in Scotland: The North Atlantic and the High North, MPs are keen to explore issues such as navigation rights and the offshore/subsea infrastructure that have an impact on defence and security in the Arctic and High North. They will also discuss the role space-based capabilities play in polar observation and surveillance, and the opportunities this presents for Scotland and its space sector.
Likely areas of questioning
Further issues likely to be discussed include:
- The potential for conflict over territory in the Arctic amid Russia’s adversarial relationships with other Arctic States, and Russia’s new law concerning access to the Northern Sea Route;
- Global competition over Arctic oil and gas, and fisheries;
- The defence and security applications space-based capabilities may have in the North Atlantic and the High North;
- Opportunities for Scotland’s space sector.
The evidence session follows reports that Russian ‘ghost ships’ are sailing through the North Sea looking into the ‘vulnerabilities’ of Britain’s underwater cables, offshore wind turbines and other pieces of critical infrastructure in preparation for a potential Russian attack.