UK Arctic Defence Gaps Leave Country Vulnerable to Russian Threats
The House of Commons Defence Committee said a lack of Royal Navy warships and submarines was putting essential infrastructure in the High North at risk, including underwater communications cables and energy supplies.
The report warned that a conflict could allow Russia to threaten Britain's population, civilian and military facilities, as well as crucial transatlantic supply routes connecting the UK with the United States.
The Ministry of Defence said it is "clear-eyed about the threat Russia posed" and is directing substantial investment towards safeguarding Britain's undersea cables.
Former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had previously cautioned that Russia could launch an attack against NATO before the end of the decade.
The High North, encompassing the Arctic Circle and surrounding areas, has increasingly become a key focus of Britain's defence planning in recent years.
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Defence reported that Russian submarine operations in the North Atlantic had returned to levels comparable to those recorded during the Cold War.
The latest assessment from MPs pointed to a "shockingly low availability" of submarines and identified a temporary reduction in the UK's capacity to operate 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 added.
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."
He stressed that efforts to close the identified defence gaps "cannot start soon enough."
The report also urged the UK to examine whether the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a military partnership involving northern European countries, should place greater emphasis on the High North amid uncertainty surrounding continued US support for NATO.
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