Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Rejected
Paragraph: 22
Commit Ministry of Defence to updating Arctic defence strategy every five years.
Conclusion
The Ministry of Defence should commit to updating its Arctic defence strategy every five years, to reflect the strategic acceleration in the region and to bring it into line with the FCDO’s Arctic Strategy for the whole of Government, which is updated every five years. We hope that, before then, the Defence Command Paper will properly reflect the changed situation in the North Atlantic and the High North resulting from Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Government Response Summary
The government rejected the recommendation to update its Arctic defence strategy every five years, stating its 2022 strategy is designed for 10 years and that reviews are conducted regularly, but not on a fixed five-year cycle. It noted the Defence Command Paper had already been published.
Paragraph Reference:
22
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
‘The UK’s Defence Contribution in the High North’ 2022 was developed to endure for 10 years. The Department remains committed to the direction set out in this Strategy but will review our objectives and approach on a regular basis. The UK’s wider Arctic policy, set out in the 2023 HMG Arctic Policy Framework Looking North, was also developed to be longstanding and enduring. Previous iterations were released in 2013 and 2018, but the Government takes a dynamic approach to be able to respond to changes in the region and across the globe. This does not mean HMG will necessarily publish another in five years’ time or that we would wait five years before publishing another if the circumstances warranted a refreshed framework sooner. The Defence Command Paper has now been published. This supports our goal to maintain the historic norms of low tension and high co-operation in the High North and commits the UK to remain ready to respond to the changing regional dynamics arising from the receding sea ice. The Paper also reiterates the UK objectives set out in ‘The UK’s Defence Contribution in the High North’ and commits to ongoing UK presence in the High North including through NATO, the JEF and on a bilateral basis.