Written evidence submitted by Ministry of Defence (DIS0048)

 

Scottish Affairs Committee: Defence & Security in the North Atlantic and High North

MOD Written Evidence

 

In preparing this information for the Scottish Affairs Committee, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has sought to address the following questions detailed in the Defence in Scotland Inquiry focusing on defence and security in the North Atlantic and High North:

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

  1.           The North Atlantic and High North are highly important for the UK. As the region’s closest neighbour without territory within the Arctic Circle, developments across the region impact upon our environment, prosperity, energy supply, and security. The High North is changing rapidly and this poses both opportunities and challenges for the UK.

 

  1.           The MOD considers the High North, Arctic and North Atlantic as a contiguous area with similar opportunities and challenges. ‘The UK’s Defence Contribution in the High North’ comprise ‘The Arctic’ comprises all territory within the Arctic Circle. The High North is less easily defined, but we take it to be the Greater Arctic, including parts of the North Atlantic. This is demonstrated in Figure 1.

 

Figure 1. A map of the High North (source: the British Antarctic Survey)

 

 

  1.           The UK’s long-term strategic objective is for the High North to remain an area of low tension and high cooperation, whilst being able to respond appropriately to changing regional dynamics. UK military capability based in Scotland is an important aspect of the UK’s response to defence and security challenges in the region. As part of the UK, Scotland benefits from this capability and we are stronger and safer together.

 

 

DEFENCE AND SECURITY IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC & HIGH NORTH

 

  1.           The North Atlantic and High North region is rapidly changing. Receding sea ice is leaving open water in its stead, offering opportunities for shorter transit routes to Asia and beyond. The Northern Sea Route shortens shipping times, approximately 40% shorter than via the Suez Canal or 60% shorter than via the Cape of Good Hope. Shorter shipping times offers lower fuel costs and emissions to the shipping industry and economic benefits for UK industry. There is also increasing access to previously inaccessible natural resources such as hydrocarbons and rare minerals. Arctic and non-Arctic states alike recognise the economic potential the region has, and we are seeing investments being made to enable them to take advantage of these.  

 

  1.           But these opportunities also risk increasing competition between states. Russia is taking an increasingly militarised approach and has steadily increased activity in the region, establishing a new Northern Joint Strategic Command, reopening Cold War-era bases above the Arctic Circle and investing further in Arctic-capable equipment. While, as an Arctic nation, Russia has legitimate interests in the Arctic region, we expect Russia to comply with international law. As the Integrated Review outlined, Russia remains the most acute threat to the security of the Euro-Atlantic region, and the Arctic is not exempt from that.  In the North Atlantic, Russian submarine activity has approached Cold War levels. On 30 November 2022, the Russian Federation Council approved a bill on an authorisation-based procedure governing navigation of foreign warships and other state vessels operated for non-commercial purposes on the Northern Sea Route. This activity impacts upon the interests of the UK, our Allies and partners. 

 

  1.           China is also increasing investment and activity in the region and supporting its proposed Polar Silk Road strategy with a range of infrastructure and capabilities, including ports, undersea cables, and a nuclear icebreaker. 

 

  1.           As well as the potential for defence and security concerns emanating from the region itself, there is the risk of state competition and conflict elsewhere around the globe spreading into the region. The pause in the Arctic Council’s official meetings following the Russian invasion of Ukraine shows us most clearly that the era of Arctic exceptionalism is ending. The Ukraine conflict has almost certainly accelerated pre-existing trends in the Sino-Russian relationship, including Moscow’s growing reliance on Chinese support, as well as re-emphasised bilateral tensions.  

 

 

UK NATIONAL SECURITY PRIORITIES IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC AND HIGH NORTH

 

Overview

  1.           The UK is mindful that we are not an Arctic state; however, we have strong relationships with almost all Arctic states and a responsibility to support our Allies and partners to preserve the stability and security of the region. We are the region’s closest neighbour, and what happens in the Arctic and broader High North directly affects our security. 

 

  1.           As new challenges emerge, we need to be prepared to protect and, where appropriate, assert our rights against those who wish to challenge the rules-based international system or threaten the stability of the region.  

 

  1.       As a leading European NATO Ally, the UK must defend our Allies and respond to aggression, including in the Arctic and High North. Within NATO, the UK plays a particular role in protecting our underwater critical national infrastructure and ensuring the freedom to operate in the North Atlantic, especially in the Greenland-Iceland-UK Gap.  

 

  1.       To enable a safe, secure and peaceful Arctic, the UK needs to be prepared to respond to the range of challenges emerging in the Arctic, be those challenges to the rules-based international system, violations of freedom of navigation, malign and destabilising activity in the Arctic, threats to critical national infrastructure, or direct threats to our Arctic Allies.

 

 

The Government’s Arctic Policy Framework

 

  1.       The 2021 Integrated Review confirmed the UK’s commitment to maintaining the Arctic region as one of high cooperation and low tension. It set out that, as the nearest neighbour to the Arctic region we would also maintain a significant contribution to Arctic science, focused on understanding the implications of climate change. The UK remains committed to the Arctic Council through our role as a State Observer, and we look forward to working with the incoming Norwegian chairmanship from May 2023. The UK is committed to working with our partners to ensure that increasing access to the region and its resources is managed safely, sustainably and responsibly. Through NATO, we also committed to support collective security across the Euro-Atlantic region, including the High North.  

 

  1.       The Integrated Review outlined significant investment in our efforts to ensure the security of the High North, including the development of a new multi-role ocean surveillance vessel. This will build on recent investments such as our new P-8A Maritime Patrol Aircraft based in Lossiemouth, as well as operational and training activity with recent RN deployments in the region, and our long-standing Royal Marine cold weather warfare training with Norway and the US.

 

  1.       The Government has also set out our vision and approach to the Arctic and High North through our Arctic Policy Framework, Beyond the Ice, which sets out the guiding principles of our UK Arctic policy and highlights the wide arrays of interest the UK has in the Arctic region. Beyond the Ice also affirms the UK’s commitment to “preserving the stability and security of the Arctic region”.  The Government is looking to publish a refreshed Arctic Policy Framework in the coming months which will be an evolution of the existing framework. This work is being led by the FCDO and the MOD is contributing to its development.

 

  1.       Both the revised Arctic Policy Framework and the Integrated Review Refresh are expected to reiterate the MOD’s High North Strategy ‘UK Defence Contribution in the High North.’  

 

 

The MOD’s High North Strategy

 

  1.       The Secretary of State for Defence announced the publication of the new Defence High North Strategy ‘The UK’s Defence Contribution in the High North’ during a visit to Exercise COLD RESPONSE 22 in Norway on 29 March 2022. The Strategy outlines the MOD’s response to the changing situation in the region and the need to maintain our ability to defend the UK, and our Arctic and High North Allies and partners.  

 

  1.       The MOD’s High North Strategy was developed alongside Arctic Allies and partners, and other Government Departments, to respond to the changing Arctic environment and the emerging challenges.  

 

  1.       The MOD’s High North Strategy established four key UK objectives for the region to preserve stability and security:

 

    1. Protect our Critical National Infrastructure and our other national interests, and those of our Allies.

 

    1. Ensure our freedom to navigate and operate across the wider region.

 

    1. Reinforce the rules-based international system, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

 

    1. Contest malign and destabilising behaviours.

 

  1.       To deliver these objectives the MOD Strategy committed to four workstreams. The first is to improve our understanding of the region, how it is changing, and the activities of state and non-state actors within it. This includes developing our understanding through our specialist geospatial centres, and world-leading hydrographic, meteorological, and oceanographic data, as well as through closely monitoring the approaches taken by both Arctic and non-Arctic states, including any activity that violates international norms and agreements. 

 

  1.       The second is to work with regional Allies and partners, including through NATO, the Northern Group, and the Joint Expeditionary Force, aligning policy, activity, and capability where possible and across all domains. We cannot do this alone. This workstream includes advocating for a more proactive – but proportionate – NATO approach to the region, acknowledging the region’s importance in a 360 degree approach to collective defence. UK leadership of the Joint Expeditionary Force and Northern Group presents opportunities for us to discuss defence and security issues relevant to the region, and develop common plans, improve interoperability, and conduct activity in the region with close Arctic partners. It also involves Arctic-specific partnerships, including remaining a proactive member of the Arctic Security Forces Roundtable, and developing our already strong bilateral cooperation with Arctic and non-Arctic Allies. 

 

  1.       The third is to maintain a coherent Defence posture, presence, and profile in the region, including training, partnering, and operating from and in the Arctic. In recent years UK activity in the Arctic has increased across domains. We will maintain a coherent Defence posture, presence, and profile in the region. This includes maintaining a periodic Royal Navy (RN) presence in the High North, alongside Allies and partners, after our return to the region in 2020. We are establishing a Littoral Response Group (North), building on the Cold Weather Warfare expertise our Commando Forces have developed over decades of cooperation with Arctic partners. And we will periodically support Icelandic Air Policing and deploy P-8A Maritime Patrol Aircrafts (MPAs) to the region, working with Allies such as Norway, Iceland, and the USA. 

 

  1.       The fourth is to develop sustainable, modernised, and proportionate Defence capability for the region, including through investment in Research and Development. This includes building on the long-standing Royal Marine Commando Force cooperation with Norway and the USA, with the potential to expand this to include cooperation with Dutch counterparts. The Army will enhance its cold weather training, alongside partners such as Finland, Norway, and Sweden. But this also involves investments in new technologies, be those our new Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates and a new Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance capability or exploring the opportunities space technologies may present to meet our Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and communications requirements in the region. 

 

 

Strategy Implementation

 

  1.       The MOD is working to implement the High North strategy. To build future capabilities, the MOD is currently conducting a threat analysis of the region, with input from other government departments, to shape operational activity and potential capability developments. The UK continues to work with regional Allies and partners, engaging on the defence and security in the High North and North Atlantic.

 

  1. The UK military continues to train and exercise across the High North:  

 

    1. The UK maintains an excellent Anti-Submarine Warfare capability.  

 

    1. The UK has invested in P-8A Poseidon MPAs, Typhoon and F-35B (Lightning) multi-role combat aircraft, and the QUEEN ELIZABETH Class aircraft carriers.  

 

    1. The Royal Marines conduct annual exercises with Norway to hone their cold weather warfighting skills. This winter, Royal Marines are episodically deployed for cold weather training between November 2022 and March 2023, feeding into Ex JOINT VIKING in March 2023.   

 

    1. In recent years, the Royal Navy recommenced routine naval operations in the High North, alongside key NATO Allies. The Air Force has also participated for the first time in Icelandic Air Policing. 

 

    1. Twice a year, UK Defence hosts Exercise JOINT WARRIOR, a Tier 3+ exercise scheduled on the Defence Exercise Programme, which tests the readiness, interoperability and capability of NATO’s Very High Readiness forces alongside the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) Partner Nations which include five Arctic states and has the High North as a region of focus. 2 PARA will also imminently deploy a Company to Norway with the Norwegian Army.

 

 

SCOTLAND AND UK DEFENCE IN THE HIGH NORTH AND NORTH ATLANTIC

 

Overview

 

  1.       Scotland’s proximity to the waters and skies above the North Atlantic is of crucial importance to the UK’s, and NATO’s security. Scotland provides several military bases which are geographically well-placed to carry out UK (and potentially NATO) operations in the High-North and North Atlantic. HMNB Clyde is the home port for the UK’s submarine fleet, including those which provide the Continuous at Sea Deterrent, with Poseidon P8-A maritime patrol aircraft operating from RAF Lossiemouth. In addition, Typhoon aircraft operating out of RAF Lossiemouth provide the UK’s Quick Reaction Alert capability (Interceptor) North. 45 Commando are based in RM Condor, Arbroath, and form a key part of the UK’s cold-weather operations expertise.  

 

  1.       The Armed Forces in Scotland do not work in isolation but are fully integrated with the Armed Forces across the UK. For instance, the UK’s surface and rotary-wing Anti-Submarine capabilities are provided by the Type 23 frigates and Merlin helicopters which are based in NMNB Devonport, Plymouth and RNAS Culdrose, Cornwall. Both capabilities operate in the High North and North Atlantic, providing anti-submarine warfare coherently with the sub-surface fleet and Poseidon P8-A maritime patrol aircraft, which operate from HMNB Clyde and RAF Lossiemouth respectively.

 

Maritime 

 

  1.       A primary function of the Royal Navy lies at Scotland’s HM Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde from where the UK operates the continuous at sea deterrent (CASD), which it has safely and securely delivered, for over 50 years. Sailing from Scotland, CASD operates 24/7 to keep the UK and its Allies safe from the most extreme threats to our national security and way of life, underscoring our status as a responsible and influential state power. 2019 marked the 50th anniversary of CASD, making it the longest ongoing operation delivered by the United Kingdom. Protection of CASD extends to operations by the Frigate Force, Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), Royal Marines, Mine Clearance Vessels and intelligence agencies. CASD is supported by all Top-Level Budgets across Defence and is the highest Military Strategic priority.

 

  1.       As one of the largest employers in Scotland, HMNB Clyde is increasing the number of people employed on-site from 6,800 to 8,200 as the base transitions to the Single Integrated Operating Base and home of the Submarine Service. It will welcome four new Dreadnought Class deterrent submarines, with the first entering service in the early 2030s.

 

  1.       Units currently based at HMNB Clyde include: Vanguard Class deterrent submarines (which form the UK's strategic nuclear deterrent force); Astute Class (the largest, most advanced and most powerful attack submarines ever operated by the RN); Mine Countermeasures Vessels; the Faslane patrol boat squadron; 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group of the Royal Marines; Fleet Operational Sea Training North; Northern Diving Group; and both the NATO Submarine Rescue Service (NSRS) and the Submarine Escape, Rescue, Abandonment and Survivability (SMERAS) facility which have saved lives, including Russian submariners.

 

  1.       45 Commando Royal Marines is based in Arbroath. The unit provides the very high readiness strike capability for Littoral Response Group (North) and is capable of operating around the globe. As part of the local community, they also contribute to the UK’s domestic resilience as well as contributing to overseas training teams to help develop foreign armed forces. The RN also has a small regional headquarters at MOD Caledonia which coordinates engagement and outreach activity with the Scottish Government, local authorities, businesses, and other organisations across the country.

 

  1.       The Royal Naval Reserve has two units in Scotland: HMS Dalriada in Glasgow and HMS Scotia in Rosyth and Dundee. Meanwhile, Royal Marines Reserve Scotland’s HQ is in Rosyth with detachments in Aberdeen, Belfast, Dundee, Glasgow, and Newcastle. Rosyth also hosts numerous ships from a variety of NATO Allies and is a key staging post for exercises held in Scotland.

 

Air

 

  1.       The Royal Air Force in Scotland primarily operates from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, north-east Scotland, where it protects our seas (as well as our skies) 24/7 and is ideally positioned for rapid access to the North Atlantic and High North. Its northern location gives it strategic oversight over the northern arc of UK airspace, protecting the country and NATO air space from attempted air terrorism and other incursions. The location of RAF Lossiemouth enables these aircraft to swiftly identify and track adversary submarines, further assuring protection of CASD and UK Infrastructure.

 

  1.       RAF Lossiemouth is currently home to circa 3,000 personnel from all three Services. It is also home to a RAF Regiment Force Protection Wing HQ, and the resident RAF Mountain Rescue Team has been a great asset in supporting emergencies in and around the surrounding region. The Station is experiencing a period of considerable growth and investment which will see strength on unit increase to circa 3,500 by 2024 to support the increase in assets and capabilities.

 

  1.       By 2024, RAF Lossiemouth will have a suite of capabilities to secure the skies, protect the seas and control the airspace to the High North and North Atlantic:

 

    1. Home to four front line fast jet Typhoon Squadrons, RAF Lossiemouth is responsible for the security of UK skies through the 24/7 delivery of Quick Reaction Alert (Interceptor) North, the scrambling and intercepting of unidentified aircraft - predominantly Russian - approaching UK/NATO northern airspace.

 

    1. Co-located with the Typhoon is the UK’s fleet of nine Maritime Patrol Aircraft, the Poseidon P8-A maritime attack aircraft, charged with delivering antisubmarine and anti-surface vessel warfare together with surveillance and search and rescue capability. All nine airframes are due to be delivered to the RAF by the end of 2021 and will fully establish RAF Lossiemouth’s role in providing constant vigilance to threats above and below the waves and protect the UK’s nuclear deterrent.

 

    1. Further, the Poseidon capability offers complete comprehensive search and tracking activities, enabling the UK to protect its Nuclear Deterrent and wider interests, including the protection of subsea telecom cables and oil or gas pipelines from hostile state actors. RAF Lossiemouth will also be home to the UK’s fleet of Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning Mk1 aircraft when they enter service.

 

  1.       To support this uplift in operational capability, RAF Lossiemouth has benefitted from a circa £0.5 billion investment programme in infrastructure, resulting in:

 

    1. Bespoke Squadron facilities to optimise collaboration between aircrew, mission support and engineering functions.

 

    1. Provision of cutting-edge synthetic training facilities, allowing the UK to capitalise on advances in technology to support its advance aircraft platforms.

 

    1. Upgraded airfield supporting infrastructure.

 

    1. Opportunities for strengthening the local economy and job opportunities, employing a range of different specialisations to deliver this ambitious programme.

 

Land

 

  1.       The Land contribution to defence and security objectives in the High North is principally achieved through two strands of activity; cold weather training in Norway, and training and exercising with NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) across the region (plus some limited bilateral activity). Cold weather training in Norway is conducted principally by Army units affiliated to 3 Commando Brigade.

 

  1.       Examples of activity coming up include Exercise ARROW in Finland being conducted by the Fifth Battalion The Rifles based in Bulford, or Exercise JOINT VIKING in Norway conducted by the Second Battalion the Parachute Regiment based in Colchester. An example of bilateral activity is the Third Battalion The Ranger Regiment conducting cold weather training in Sweden; that unit is based in Aldershot. There is no direct link between Scotland-based defence capabilities and the British Army’s delivery of defence and security objectives in the North Atlantic and High North.

 

Future Military Capability

 

  1.       Scottish bases continue to make a significant contribution to the delivery of the UK’s defence and security objectives. As always, the requirement for these bases along with potential upgrades and improvements to infrastructure are continuously being assessed to ensure that the UK can meet its operational policy ambitions as the threat and environment evolve. This includes, in 2023/24, the UKs airborne early warning and air control platform, the Wedgetail (E7); 3 x aircraft have been purchased to date with seed corn crews currently embedded within NATO partners overseas.

 

  1.       The UK will continue to review future military capability. Most recently, in December 2022 the British Military announced a £140 million contract for 60 new amphibious vehicles to be in service for 30 years through the international Collaborative All-Terrain Vehicle (CATV) including Sweden and Germany. In response to the broad spectrum of threats we face, the UK's commitment to investments in science and technology will ensure the UK possesses a range of capabilities to enable us to operate effectively with NATO and with our Arctic Allies and partners.

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

  1.       The UK Government recognises the growing importance of the High North to our defence and security, the opportunities it presents, and the potential for growing tensions in the region. The MOD is determined to lead an integrated government approach to defence and security in the region, alongside Allies and partners, to ensure the increasing access to the region and its resources is managed safely, sustainably, and responsibly.

 

  1.       Scotland plays a key role in the national security of the UK. This is evident in Scotland’s defence contribution to the UK’s posture and presence in the High North. As the closest land mass to the region Scotland is the UK’s ‘Northern Flank’ but is by no means isolated and draws its strength through close integration with Military Forces across the UK.

 

February 2023