Recommendation 128

We are concerned that placing Finland (and Sweden ) under the Brunssum Joint Force Command runs at cross-purposes to the efforts of the Nordic states to strengthen inter -operability and joint defence in the Nordic region. We call on the UK Government to assist in capacity building at JFC Norfolk so that Finland and Sweden can be placed under its command as soon as possible. In the interim , it is particularly important that NATO tests the flexibility and inter-operability between the two joint commands. 25 Q 20 (Dr Rowan Allport) 26 Q 43 (Prof Katarzyna Zysk) 27 Mathieu Boulègue, Russia’s Military Posture in the Arctic: Managing Hard Power in a ‘Low Tension’ Environment, Chatham House (June 2019) p 10: https://www.chathamhouse.org/2019/06/russias-military-posture- arctic/4-arctic-force-structure [accessed 1 November 2023] 28 Defence Committee, On Thin Ice: UK Defence in the Arctic (Twelfth Report, Session 2017–19, HC 388) 29 International Relations and Defence Committee, ‘Arctic Inquiry: Norway and Finland visit 4–8 September’, September 2023: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/41558/documents/204655/ default/ 30 Defence Committee, On Thin Ice: UK Defence in the Arctic (Twelfth Report, Session 2017–19, HC 388) 31 Mathieu Boulègue, Russia’s Military Posture in the Arctic: Managing Hard Power in a ‘low tension’ environment , Chatham House (June 2019): https://www.chathamhouse.org/2019/06/russias-military-posture-arctic /4-arctic-force-structure [accessed 1 November 2023] 32 International Relations and Defence Committee, ‘Arctic Inquiry: Norway and Finland visit 4–8 September’, September 2023: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/41558 /documents/204655/default/ 33 Q 43 (Prof Katarzyna Zysk) 34 The 2022 Maritime Doctrine of the Russian Federation identifies the Arctic waters around Russia’s northern coast and the waters of the Northern Sea Route as a zone of “vital national interest”, see: Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, Ukaz Prezidenta Rossiiskoi Federatsii ot 31.07.2022 No 512 Ob utverzhdenii Morskoi doktrini Rossiiskoi Federatsii (July 2022) p 1: http ://www.kremlin.ru/acts/bank/48215/page/1 [accessed 1 November 2023] [ Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of 31.07.2022 No 512 On the Approval of the Maritime Doctrine of the Russian Federation ]. For an unofficial translation of the Doctrine, see: U.S. Naval War College, Maritime Doctrine of the Russian Federation (July 2022) pp 1–94: https://dnnlgwick .blob.core.windows.net/portals/0/NWCDepartments/Russia%20Maritime%20Studies %20Institute/20220731_ENG_RUS_Maritime_Doctrine_FINALtxt.pdf?sv=2017–04-17 &sr=b&si=DNNFileManagerPolicy&sig=2zUFSaTUSPcOpQDBk%2FuCtVnb%2FDoy06Cbh0EI5tGpl2Y%3D [accessed 1 November 2023]. 35 Written evidence from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change ( ARC0013 ) 36 Written evidence by Professor Caroline Kennedy-Pipe to the Scottish Affairs Committee, Inquiry on Scotland and the High North ( DIS0047 ) 37 Mathieu Boulègue, ‘The Arctic Component of Russia’s New Maritime Doctrine’ (November 2022): https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/no-17-arctic -component-russias-new-maritime-doctrine [accessed 13 October 2023] 38 Q 44 (Mathieu Boulègue) 39 Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, Ukaz Prezidenta Rossiiskoi Federatsii ot 31.07.2022 No 512 Ob utverzhdenii Morskoi doktrini Rossiiskoi Federatsii (July 2022), p 1: http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/bank/48215/page/1 [accessed 1 November 2023] [ Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of 31.07.2022 No 512 On the Approval of the Maritime Doctrine of the Russian Federation ] 40 International Relations and Defence Committee, ‘Arctic Inquiry: Norway and Finland visit 4–8 September’, September 2023: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/41558/documents /204655/default/ 41 Q 44 (Prof Katarzyna Zysk) 42 Q 45 (Prof Katarzyna Zysk) 43 Q 44 (Prof Katarzyna Zysk) 44 Written evidence from the RAND Corporation ( ARC0008 ) 45 Q 44 (Mathieu Boulègue) 46 Q 44 (Prof Katarzyna Zysk) 47 Written evidence from Prof Gisele Arruda and Dr Marko Filijović ( ARC0009 ); International Relations and Defence Committee, ‘Arctic Inquiry: Norway and Finland visit 4-8 September’, September 2023: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/41558/documents/ 204655/default/ 48 Written evidence from Cornell Overfield and Dr Joshua Tallis ( ARC0011 ) and Q 24 (Dr Duncan Depledge) 49 Most notably, in 2010, Russia and Norway resolved the most potentially problematic maritime boundary in the Arctic region by signing a treaty delimiting their EEZs in the Barents Sea. The EEZ is a maritime zone extending up to 200 nautical miles beyond a state’s territorial sea and ‘contiguous zone’ (each 12 nautical miles in width respectively). The state has exclusive rights over natural resources within the EEZ. 50 Q 143 (Prof Michael Byers) 51 Q 144 (Prof Michael Byers) and Q 137 (Prof P Whitney Lackenbauer) 52 Q 46 (Mathieu Boulègue) 53 Q 19 (Lieutenant Commander Dr John Ash) and Q 25 (Dr Duncan Depledge) 54 Q 25 (Dr Rowan Allport) 55 Q 150 (Angus Lapsley) 56 Ibid. 57 Q 153 (Angus Lapsley) 58 Q 14 (Prof Klaus Dodds) and Q 46 (Mathieu Boulègue) 59 Q 135 (Dr Rebecca Pincus) 60 Written evidence from Gabriella Gricius ( ARC0001 ) 61 International Relations and Defence Committee, ‘Arctic Inquiry: Norway and Finland visit 4–8 September’, September 2023: https ://committees.parliament.uk/publications/41558/documents/204655/default/ 62 Written evidence from Prof Katarzyna Zysk ( ARC0016 ) 63 Q 127 (Dr Rebecca Pincus) 64 Q 46 (Mathieu Boulègue). In May 2020, a major oil leak from a collapsed fuel tank 12km north of Norilsk in the Russian Arctic polluted a 350 sq km area in Lake Pysasina, which flows into the Kara Sea. See BBC, ‘Norilsk Nickel: Mining firm pays record $2bn fine over Arctic oil spill’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56350953 [accessed 1 November 2023]. In August 2019, an explosion at the Nyonoksa military test range in Russia’s European Arctic led to rise in radiation to 16 times normal levels. President Vladimir Putin said a new weapon system had been tested. It is believed the test involved the 9M730 Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, see: BBC, Russian nuclear accident: Medics fear ‘ radioactive patients’ (August 2019): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news /world-europe-49432681 [accessed 13 October 2023]. 65 Q 46 (Mathieu Boulègue) 66 Q 132 (Prof Michael Byers) 67 Q 136 (Prof P Whitney Lackenbauer) 68 Q 50 (Prof Katarzyna Zysk) 69 International Relations and Defence Committee, ‘Arctic Inquiry: Norway and Finland visit 4–8 September’, September 2023: https://committees .parliament.uk/publications/41558/documents/204655/default/ 70 Written evidence from Cornell Overfield and Josh Tallis ( ARC0011 ) 71 Q 132 (Prof Michael Byers) 72 Q 50 (Prof Katarzyna Zysk) 73 Q 127 (Dr Rebecca Pincus) 74 Q 114 (James Heappey MP) 75 Q 58 (Minna Ålander) 76 Q 57 (Prof Niklas Eklund) 77 ‘More Russian GPS jamming than ever before across border to Norway’, The Barents Observer (9 July 2022): https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/security/2022/07/more-russian-gps- jamming-ever-across-border-norway [accessed 1 November 2023] 78 Q 58 (Prof Niklas Eklund) 79 Q 46 (Mathieu Boulègue); Deutsche Welle, Norway detains Russian man over drone flights (October 2022): https://www.dw.com/en/norway-russian-man- detained-with-2-drones-near-arctic/a-63441134 [accessed 1 November 2023] 80 Q 58 (Minna Ålander) 81 Q 27 (Lieutenant Commander Dr John Ash) 82 Treaty regulating the Status of Spitsbergen and conferring the Sovereignty on Norway, done at Paris, 9 February 1920: https://treaties.fcdo.gov.uk/data/ Library2/pdf/1924-TS0018.pdf [accessed 18 October 2023]. Depositary status lists for the treaty: http://basedoc.diplomatie.gouv.fr/ exl-php/vue-consult/mae_internet___traites/TRA19200018 [accessed 9 November 2023] 83 Q 67 (Dr Elana Wilson Rowe) 84 Oral evidence taken before the Defence sub-Committee, 1 March 2017 (Session 2016–17) QQ 27–29 85 Written evidence from the RAND Corporation ( ARC0008 ) 86 Q 46 (Mathieu Boulègue) 87 Written evidence from the RAND Corporation ( ARC0008 ) 88 International Relations and Defence Committee, ‘Arctic Inquiry: Norway and Finland visit 4–8 September’, September 2023: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/41558/documents/204655/ default/ 89 Royal United Services Institute,’Stalking the Seabed: How Russia Targets Critical Infrastructure’: https://rusi.org/explore-our-research/ publications/commentary/stalking-seabed-how-russia-targets-critical-undersea-infrastructure [accessed 1 November 2023] 90 Ewen MacAskill, ‘Russia could cut off internet to Nato countries, British military chief warns’, The Guardian (14 December 2017): https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/14/russia-could-cut-off-internet-to-nato-countries-british-military-chief-warns [accessed 16 November 2023] 91 Reuters, ‘NATO says Moscow may sabotage undersea cables as part of war on Ukraine’: https://www.reuters.com/world/moscow-may-sabotage- undersea-cables-part-its-war-ukraine-nato-2023–05-03/ [accessed 1 November 2023] 92 Q 114 (Dr Lee Willett) and ‘4.3 Kilometers of Subsea Cable Vanished Off North Norwegian Coast’ High North News. (10 November 2021): https://www.highnorthnews.com/ en/43-kilometers-subsea-cable-vanished-north-norwegian-coast [accessed 1 November 2023] 93 Norsk Utenrikspolitisk Institutt, The subsea cable cut at Svalbard January 2022: What happened, what were the consequences, and how were they managed? (18 January 2023): https ://www.nupi.no/en/publications/cristin-pub/the-subsea-cable -cut-at-svalbard-january-2022-what-happened-what-were-the -consequences-and-how-were-they-managed [accessed 1 November 2023] 94 Q 114 (Dr Sidharth Kaushal) 95 Q 106 (Dr Sidharth Kaushal) 96 Ibid. 97 UK Defence Journal, ‘Russian spy ship off Scottish coast’: https://ukdefencejournal .org.uk/russian-spy-ship-off-scottish-coast [accessed 1 November 2023] 98 Q 115 (Dr Sidharth Kaushal) 99 Ibid. 100 Q 117 (Dr Lee Willett) 101 House of Commons Library, Insight, Seabed warfare: Protecting the UK’s undersea infrastructure (24 May 2023): https://commonslibrary.parliament .uk/seabed-warfare-protecting-the-uks-undersea-infrastructure/ [accessed 1 November 2023] 102 Naval News, First of Two MROS Ships Arrives in the UK (19 January 2023): https://www. navalnews.com/naval-news/2023/01/first-of-two-mros-ships-arrives-in-the-uk/ [accessed 1 November 2023] 103 Ministry of Defence, Press Release: DE&S purchase specialist ship to protect our undersea cables (19 January 2023): https:// www.gov.uk/government/news/des-purchase-specialist-ship-to- protect-our-underwater-cables [accessed 1 November 2023] 104 Ministry of Defence, Press Release: UK and Norway to increase cooperation on undersea capabilities (18 May 2023): https://www.gov.uk/ government/news/uk-and-norway-to-increase-cooperation-on-undersea- capabilities [accessed 1 November 2023] 105 International Relations and Defence Committee, ‘Arctic Inquiry: Norway and Finland visit 4–8 September’, September 2023: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/41558/documents/204655/default/ ; In September 2022, the EU said damage to the Nord Stream pipelines, which carried gas from Russia to Germany on the Baltic seabed, was the result of sabotage see: BBC, Nord Stream leaks: Sabotage to blame, says EU (28 September 2022): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-63057966 [accessed 1 November 2023]. 106 NATO, ‘NATO and the EU set up taskforce on resilience and critical infrastructure’: https://www .nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_210611.htm [accessed 1 November 2023] 107 NATO, ‘NATO stands up undersea coordination cell’: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_211919.htm [accessed 1 November 2023] 108 Q 106 (Dr Sidharth Kaushal) 109 Q 108 (Dr Lee Willett) 110 Ibid. 111 Written evidence from the RAND Corporation ( ARC0008 ) 112 Written evidence from the Tony Blair Institute ( ARC0013 ) 113 Q 126 (James Heappey MP) 114 Q 151 (Angus Lapsley) 115 Written evidence from the RAND Corporation ( ARC0008 ) 116 Ibid. 117 Written evidence from the RAND Corporation ( ARC0008 ) 118 Written evidence from Cornell Overfield and Dr Joshua Tallis ( ARC0011 ) 119 NATO Joint Force Commands are operational-level commands under Allied Command Operations. There are three Joint Force Commands: JFC Brunssum (Netherlands), JFC Naples (Italy) and JFC Norfolk (United States). Established in 2018, JFC Norfolk focuses on the High North and protecting strategic lines of communication across the North Atlantic. 120 International Relations and Defence Committee, ‘Arctic Inquiry: Norway and Finland visit 4–8 September’, September 2023: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/41558/documents/204655/default / 121 Q 152 (Angus Lapsley) 122 ‘Finnish border “pretty empty” of Russian troops’, The Financial Times (14 August 2023): https://www.ft.com/content/f7587dc3-3518–4084-b68a-1dd00ab83e2e [accessed 1 November 2023] 123 International Relations and Defence Committee, ‘Arctic Inquiry: Norway and Finland visit 4–8 September’, September 2023: https://committees.parliament.uk/ publications/41558/documents/204655/default/ 124 Ibid. 125 Q 44 (Prof Katarzyna Zysk) 126 Q 150 (Angus Lapsley) 127 Q 139 (Prof P Whitney Lackenbauer) 128 Q 32 (Lieutenant Commander Dr John Ash) 129 Ibid. 130 Q 39 (Dr Duncan Depledge) 131 Royal Navy, ‘New Arctic operations base for UK commandos’: https:// www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2023/ march/08/230308-campvikingnorway [accessed 1 November 2023] 132 Q 124 (James Heappey MP) 133 Prime Minister’s Office, Press Release: PM accelerates military support to Northern Europe following visit to Sweden (13 October 2023): https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-accelerates-military-support-to-northern-europe-following-visit-to-sweden/ [accessed 1 November 2023] 134 Ministry of Defence, The UK’s Defence Contribution in the High North (March 2022), p 5: https://www.gov .uk/government/publications/the-uks-defence-contribution-in-the-high -north [accessed 1 November 2023] 135 Q 140 (Prof Michael Byers) 136 Defence Committee, On Thin Ice: UK Defence in the Arctic (Twelfth Report, Session 2017–19, HC 388) 137 Written evidence from the RAND Corporation ( ARC0008 ) 138 Q 123 (James Heappey MP) 139 Select Committee on the Arctic, Responding to a changing Arctic (Report of Session 2014–15, HL Paper 118) 140 Oral evidence taken before the Scottish Affairs Committee inquiry on Defence in Scotland, 5 June 2023 (Session 2022–23), Q 211 (James Heappey MP) 141 United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, A/HRC/54/31/ Add.1: Visit to Denmark and Greenland: Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples (September 2023): https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/ahrc5431add1-visit-denmark-and-greenland-report-special-rapporteur-rights [accessed 15 November 2023] < Back Next > © Parliamentary copyright 2023 A-Z index Glossary Contact us Freedom of Information Jobs Using this website Copyright Privacy notice Cookie policy Cookie Manager House of Lords - Our friends in the North: UK strategy towards the Arctic - International Relations and Defence Committee Accessibility Email alerts RSS feeds Contact us Home Parliamentary business MPs, Lords & offices About Parliament Get involved Visiting Education House of Commons House of Lords What's on Bills & legislation Committees Publications & records Parliament TV News Topics Our friends in the North: UK strategy towards the Arctic Contents Chapter 3: The internationalisation of the Arctic