The UK will deploy Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary assets to the upcoming NATO-led Exercise Joint Viking in March, Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed during a recent exchange in the House of Commons.
During the session, Graeme Downie raised concerns about the increasing strategic activity in the High North:
“US navy officials have reported increased Russian and Chinese patrols in the High North. Last week, the Danish navy announced plans to acquire three new Arctic patrol ships, and March will see one of the largest Exercise Joint Viking operations in NATO’s history. With these concerns in mind, will the Secretary of State confirm which UK assets will be involved in Joint Viking this year? What plans does he have to update the 2022 policy paper on the UK’s defence contribution in the High North?”
In response, Healey underscored the UK’s commitment to Arctic defence efforts, stating: “My hon. Friend is right about the High North. We will continue to maintain a strong defence profile and posture. Both the Royal Navy and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary will be taking part in Exercise Joint Viking.”
Exercise Joint Viking is expected to be one of NATO’s largest Arctic exercises, reflecting the alliance’s strategic focus on countering Russian and Chinese activity in the region.
The exercise will test joint operational capabilities in extreme environments and is seen as essential to maintaining the security of the High North’s critical shipping lanes and undersea infrastructure.
Although Healey did not specify plans to update the 2022 policy paper on the UK’s contribution to Arctic defence, his comments reaffirmed the UK’s active involvement in NATO’s collective efforts.
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The usual vague statements based on hot air, and no indication of increasing assets that have recently been further eroded.
See above. DM hits it on the head.
For too long we have heard about one asset taking part in multiple exercises around the world… sorry, how many places can it be in at the same time?
The Cons were notorious for this but Labour are doing themselves no favours repeating the same tripe.
We need more Armed Forces and we need them now, across the board.
Furthermore, UKDJ need to call out the public statements that lack any credibility; you might find more of us willing to part with brass if you do your job properly.
Russia + China conducts Freedom of navigation exercise in international territory while the UK cowers in fear.
How many US, UK, France subs patrolling South China seas, and East China seas? We are concerned there is not enough or not?
This is a very interesting area for the avid PLAN follower, because for a very long time the PLAN have been hiding in plain sight as a true blue water navy…essentially its got huge blue water capacity but it’s not been using it… essentially being low profile and pretty much staying in its own back yard as it massively expanded and built capacity and capabilities.
But over the last few years it’s very much started changing the character of what it’s doing with its sub sea Build programmes.
Chinese build programmes are difficult because unlike every other nation they don’t brag,,they keep it all very quite and try to be very obscurer..but what we know is has tended to be very focused on developing capabilities in one area to a huge level then moving on and it now seems to be kicking up a gear in SSN, SSGN.. with 7-8 modern SSGNs launched in the last 3 years ( which is more nuclear attack subs than it build in the previous 3 decades)..including its electric fleet it has launched around 5 modern attack subs a year over the last few years…which is a massive expansion.
It’s also upping its blue water deployments and now has a permanent squadron in the western Indian occean ( Middle East) as well as carrier deployments into the mid pacific, ongoing Indian Ocean deployment in the eastern Indian Ocean, the high north ( artic circle), annual North Atlantic deployments, as well as southern occean deployments…
Essentially after just under a decade of pretending it was not now a huge blue water navy the PLAN seems to be waking up, waving to the world and saying, look we are here. The question is why, because everything china does is with a purpose as part of its plan for reunification.
The high North is a big chink in NATO’s armour. While the RN sees its main raison d’etre as sending a carrier group off through Suez to the Indo-Pacific, the Chinese navy has a far shorter route for submarine access to the north Atlantic shipping routes via the Arctic.
The UK is the largest nation and principal naval power in North-West Europe, but we have very little naval powere we can deploy there. If only a third of our warships are at sea at any one time, we would have just one Astute on patrol, the other two being with the CASD Vanguard, the CSG or forward-based in the Pacific.
Not much better on escorts, of the 5 at sea, three or four would be with the CSG, one in the Gulf.
Basically, the minimum we need for Eastlant and the High North is an ASW sqdn and a hunter-killer submarine sqdn. We might be able to raise the former from escorts alongside, though there won’t be enough ASW frigates to do the job and the T31 is not much use in that role. We might manage to deploy one more Astute, but that would be greatly outnumbered if the Chinese decide to visit. Cutting off the SLOC to the USA will surely be in their strategic plan.
What a pity we didn’t order a couple more Astutes at the time. Too late now, as no chance of any more PWR2. The right course would be to order half a dozen conventional SSK submarines. At not much over half the price of an Astute and with greatly increased performance due to electric propulsion and lithium batteries, this would be the right move.
We should increase the number of T26, adding at least 2 to the current order, to give us at least some ASW capability in Eastlant.
The P8 would be much in demand, but there aren’t enough to meet the many calls on them. Another 3 would mean we could call on 6 in operation. Across the GIUK gap, Atlantic shipping lanes, CSG and other taskings, that would be slim pickings but at least a start.
Where does the budget come from? Some extra money needed for sure. But it is pretty obvious that our one small carrier group is using up a disproportionate slice of the available warships, for a rather limited kinetic effect in the SCS. We are wedded to this expeditionary capability, but without the naval and air resources to fulfill it without leaving us pretty defenceless in Eastlant and the High North. I think NATO Europe should look to deploy one multi-national CSG to the Indo Pacific, with a second one in times if tension. It means that the CSG would consist of destroyers, frigates, submarine and auxiliaries from the 4 main Euro navies, not just the RN. It would be a more potent demonstration of naval power and NATO unity to China, than we can achieve or afford on our own.
To your point about the P8s , Canada operates North Atlantic patrols not only in Canadian areas but the North Atlantic in general as well . Once the new P8s arrive in a year or two for the RCAF, there will be improved kit detection and range and speed. The RAF is not alone in the North Atlantic.
Why concern about Russian subs in the Arctic? It’s their coastal waters. Should Russia be concerned about Royal Navy deployments around Scotland or in the English channel?
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