British forces have deployed to the remote Norwegian island of Jan Mayen alongside Norwegian and American personnel as part of a NATO operation intended to strengthen deterrence and readiness in the High North, the Ministry of Defence has said.
Royal Marines and RAF personnel took part in Operation Atlantic City between 26 August and 4 September, working alongside the Royal Norwegian Navy, Norwegian Home Guard and United States Marine Corps. The deployment formed part of NATO’s Arctic Sentry activity. Jan Mayen lies around 620 miles from mainland Norway in the Norwegian Sea, north of the Greenland-Iceland-UK gap. The MOD described the island as occupying a strategically important position for the defence of northern Europe and the wider Euro-Atlantic area.
Personnel from LXX Squadron RAF deployed alongside elements of UK Commando Force, with the trilateral force integrating sensor and communications systems during the exercise.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said: “The High North is vital to the security of the UK and our NATO Allies. This operation demonstrates the strength of our partnership with Norway and the United States, and the ability of our Armed Forces to operate together in even the most demanding Arctic conditions. It is a clear signal of our enduring commitment to NATO security and to defending our shared interests in the High North.”
The MOD said the operation tested the ability of allied forces to work together in an environment where distance, extreme weather, limited infrastructure and rapidly changing conditions place additional demands on logistics and planning. Training in the region included maritime operations, surveillance, movement, survival and joint activity between the participating forces. The deployment was also used to integrate different sensing and communications systems in support of NATO’s wider situational awareness in the Arctic.
Operation Atlantic City ran at the same time as naval manoeuvres under Operation Northern Viking 26, allowing participating forces to use overlapping maritime and sensing resources across the European theatre while supporting Arctic Sentry.
The MOD said: “The operation has seen UK forces work alongside the Royal Norwegian Navy, the Norwegian Home Guard, and US Marine Corps units integrate various sensor and communications systems, allowing NATO to be better prepared for potential threats.”
The deployment follows similar allied training around Jan Mayen last year and comes as NATO increases its focus on the High North, where the Alliance is seeking to improve its ability to monitor activity and operate in difficult Arctic conditions.
British participation in Arctic Sentry forms part of a wider NATO effort to increase vigilance across northern waters and improve the ability of allied forces to operate jointly at short notice.
The MOD said Arctic training gives UK personnel practical experience of operating in some of the most demanding weather and terrain faced by NATO forces, including environments where infrastructure is limited and reinforcement or resupply can be difficult. Operation Atlantic City was intended to build that experience while also strengthening interoperability between British, Norwegian and American forces deployed in the High North.
We need to expand these exercises and start doing them as UK only exercises to our island base se around the world. We should practice rapid deployment with Sky Sabre, wildcat and M270 with PrSM for a long range anti ship missile capability.
These three systems can given the UK the ability to deploy a highly effective A2AD bubble with the ability to interdict and strike ships out to a range of 500km