The UK is boosting its Arctic military presence in Norway, with Defence Secretary John Healey confirming plans to double British troops from around 1,000 to 2,000 over the next three years and to take a larger role in NATO’s planned Arctic Sentry mission. The move comes amid heightened attention on Greenland and the High North, and a broader shift in NATO planning as allied governments point to increased Russian military activity in the region.
Doubling troops in northern Norway, from 1,000 to 2,000
London’s plan centres on a larger, more regular British footprint in northern Norway. The UK government said the troop increase would be phased in over three years, reinforcing the UK’s cold-weather capability and its ability to deploy rapidly on NATO’s northern flank. The announcement was made during Healey’s visit to Royal Marine Commandos at Camp Viking, the UK’s operational hub for Arctic training inside the Arctic Circle.
Healey framed the decision as part of a wider change in the security environment, describing Russia as the most serious threat to Arctic and High North security since the Cold War. The UK statement also referred to Russia “reopening” old Cold War-era bases, without detailing which facilities or where.
NATO’s Arctic Sentry, and why Greenland is back on the agenda
The UK decision is closely tied to NATO’s work on Arctic Sentry, a mission expected to increase allied coordination in surveillance and operational planning in the Arctic. Reporting by Reuters, based on military and diplomatic sources, has described Arctic Sentry as a framework to strengthen deterrence through better use of existing capabilities—such as ships, aircraft, drones, and shared situational awareness—rather than a large, permanent surge of new forces.
The timing also reflects a political layer. Since the start of 2026, security debates about Greenland and the wider Arctic have intensified after repeated statements by USA President Donald Trump about Greenland’s strategic value. For NATO allies, the challenge has been to reassure Denmark and Greenland while also keeping the focus on Russia’s military posture in the High North.
Cold Response 2026, and the scale of allied Arctic training
Exercises remain the main instrument for showing readiness in the region. Cold Response 2026, Norway’s largest military exercise of the year, is scheduled for March 2026 and will involve forces operating in Arctic conditions across Norway, Finland and Sweden. Norway’s Armed Forces (Forsvaret) have described the drill as involving troops from 14 allied countries, aimed at training under harsh conditions and improving operational cooperation.
The UK government said around 1,500 Royal Marine Commandos will deploy to Norway for Cold Response in March, linking the exercise to the wider effort to improve NATO’s ability to defend strategically important terrain, including fjords and mountainous routes that are central to mobility and reinforcement in the High North.
Joint Expeditionary Force and Lion Protector, with a focus on critical infrastructure
Alongside NATO planning, London is also using the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF)—a ten-country coalition bringing together the UK, the Nordics, the Baltics and the Netherlands—to structure military activity in Northern Europe.
In September 2026, the UK government said JEF will lead Exercise Lion Protector, deploying air, land and naval forces across Iceland, the Danish Straits and Norway. The stated scenario focuses on defending critical national infrastructure against attack or sabotage and improving joint command-and-control. In practice, that emphasis mirrors the growing strategic attention on undersea cables, pipelines, ports, and energy systems around the North Atlantic and the Baltic.
UK–Norway cooperation beyond troop numbers
The UK’s wider Arctic posture is also anchored in deepening defence cooperation with Norway. In December 2025, the two governments signed the Lunna House Agreement, designed to strengthen maritime security and protection of undersea infrastructure. The agreement is linked to a planned UK–Norway operational approach built around Type 26 anti-submarine frigates and more coordinated tracking of undersea threats.
Taken together, the troop increase in Norway, the upcoming Cold Response and Lion Protector exercises, and the Arctic Sentry mission signal a long-term effort to normalise a higher tempo of allied activity in the High North.
