As US President Donald Trump has declared he would annex Denmark’s Greenland island, British commandoes are joining the Norwegian military in a permanent deployment to the Norwegian Arctic Circle. The move is part of broader European efforts to secure the Arctic amid American pressure.
At a time when US President Donald Trump has set his eyes on Denmark’s Greenland island in particular and Arctic in general, the United Kingdom and Norway have announced a permanent mission to secure the mountains and seas in the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway.
Under a new agreement with Norway, British Royal Marines will expand their winter deployment to the Norwegian Arctic into a permanent deployment. It will be part of Nato to beef up its northern flank.
“Under the new agreement, the UK’s Commando Force, led by the Royal Marines, will operate year-round across Northern Norway’s coastlines and mountains, expanding beyond their traditional winter deployments. This partnership is a powerful demonstration of Nato Allies’ unity and enhanced interoperability in the High North,” said Nato in a statement.
The strengthening of Arctic’s defences is taking place at a time when European countries are pursuing a two-pronged strategy to deal with Trump’s threat.
While Trump has maintained since 2024 that he would annex Greenland and would invade the island if required, he and his allies have ramped up those threats in recent weeks, particularly after the American invasion of Venezuela. And White House has formally said that military options for the annexation are on the table.
Amid such threats, European countries have launched a two-pronged effort where they are engaging with various stakeholders in the United States diplomatically and, at the same time, beefing up the security of Arctic under Nato to address Trump’s stated concerns about the region’s security, according to Politico.
For Nato, Trump’s threats are existential as an invasion of a fellow member —both the United States and Denmark are Nato members— would mean the death of the alliance.
UK addresses twin threats from Russia & Trump
In the Arctic, European nations have long faced threats from Russia. And, lately, they have faced threats from the United States under Trump.
Therefore, while the British-Norwegian deployment would address Russian threats on the record, it would be a signal to Trump as well that these are not open spaces where he could do as he wishes.
Currently, the UK Commando Force has an operations hub, Camp Viking, and it is now being expanded into a permanent base with the deployment of 1,500 personnel, who will be based there with all-terrain vehicles and helicopters, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
Under the agreement, Royal Marines have joined hands with Norway to develop their joint military clout, including investment in weapons and programmes for uncrewed mine-hunting and undersea warfare systems as well as autonomous vehicles for patrolling the depths and an interchangeable fleet of Type 26 frigates, the statement read.
They will operate across the coastlines and mountains of Northern Norway. Critically, they will not just cooperate with Norwegian forces but will also marines from the Netherlands in the defence of the region’s fjords and mountains.
In 2026, Nato will stage Exercise Cold Response in 2026 in the region, which will be the largest military exercises in the country in 2026. It is aimed at demonstrating the unity of Nato and the ability of the alliance to deter threats in the Arctic Circle.
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