Royal Navy shortage leaves UK vulnerable in the High North, MPs warn
A shortage of warships and submarines has left Britain's undersea cables and energy supplies in the High North exposed, the Commons Defence Committee has warned, urging action that "cannot start soon enough".
Britain has "glaring gaps" in its ability to defend the Arctic, leaving critical infrastructure vulnerable to potential Russian attack, MPs have warned in a report that urges rapid action to close them.
The Commons Defence Committee said a shortage of Royal Navy warships and submarines had left the country's undersea cables and energy supplies in the High North exposed. In the event of conflict, it added, Russia could threaten the UK's population, its civilian and military infrastructure, and vital supply routes across the Atlantic from the United States.
The Ministry of Defence said it was "clear-eyed about the threat Russia posed" and was investing heavily to protect Britain's undersea cables. Former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer previously warned that Russia could attack Nato by the end of the decade.
The High North, which includes the Arctic circle and adjacent areas, has become central to British defence concerns in recent years. Earlier this year the MoD said Russian submarine activity in the North Atlantic had returned to Cold War levels.
In the new report, MPs highlighted a "shockingly low availability" of submarines and said there had been a temporary loss of the ability to operate them beneath Arctic ice. "Russia can then use the ice to conceal and protect its own submarines while threatening Nato sea lanes, UK critical infrastructure and the UK's nuclear deterrent," the report said.
Tan Dhesi, chair of the Defence Committee, said: "This is a demanding, hostile environment, and one that our greatest adversary, Russia, is seeking to dominate for military advantage." The work to address the gaps "cannot start soon enough", he added.
Given uncertainty over US support for Nato, the report said Britain should consider whether the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force, a coalition of northern European nations, should focus more on the High North. An MoD spokesperson said the force was already "strengthening Nato's northern flank and increasing our ability to respond rapidly to emerging threats".
Stuart Anderson, the Conservative shadow minister for war readiness, said: "If Nato could be at war with Russia as soon as 2030, as the former prime minister warned, that means time is just as important as money. To deter war we must be ready for it, that means spending money now, not kicking the can down the road until it's too late."