The United Kingdom has announced its plan to boost its military presence in the Arctic region to combat Russia's perceived aggression.
Specifically, the United Kingdom will deploy 800 army and marine troops to the Arctic region in 2019 to man the new military base as more and more Russian submarines were seen frequenting the area. Britain said Moscow's military presence is extremely close to the extent that it had been during the Cold War era.
The U.K. Royal Marines has been undergoing cold weather training in Norway yearly as part of the new defense Arctic strategy. In the long run, the Royal Marines will be joining Norway troops in an integrated defense strategy boosting Britain and Norway's military alliance. The joined military strategy will eventually be integrated with NATO's defense plan which is aimed at securing the Arctic region against foreseeable aggression.
Aside from military troops, the United Kingdom will also be sending four of its RAF Typhoons to patrol the Icelandic skies as part of the Euro Atlantic defense strategy.
The plans are expected to take shape by 2019.
In 2020, Britain will begin deploying its new P-8 Poseidon aircraft.
U.K. Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson said the melting ice caps in the region paved the way to new shipping routes. With this new environmental condition, Russia is believed to be staking a claim by militarizing the region, building more than 100 facilities in the Arctic. Williamson asserted that the United Kingdom must be ready threats as they emerge.
The melting ice caps have also opened a massive economic potential in the region. The new routes do not just allow heightened military interference in the area but most importantly unraveled new platform for financial gains among the players in the region.
Cargo ships using the new routes have increased by 80 percent in the eight months to August over the year-earlier period according to The Wall Street Journal, citing data from Norway's Nord University. Specifically, cargo shipments increased to about 10 million tons this year.
Among nations claiming rights in the region are the United States, Denmark, Canada, and Norway. China and Russia, meanwhile, have invested heavily in explorations to test out the market viability of the region.
Russia's state-owned Sovcomflot has sailed the Arctic more than 100 times in 2018, carrying crude oil exports. Other Russian ships have been using the route to transport natural gas exports to Asian and Western markets.
China's Cosco Shipping Lines and China Merchants Holdings are actively investing in initiatives in the region.
Maersk, the world's biggest container line, has just sailed the Venta container ship from Vladivostok to Ste. Petersburg using a new route in the Arctic. The Venta reached its destination 10 days earlier as compared to using an old route via the Suez Canal.
