Speeches

Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is on the militerisation of the Arctic.

Penny Mordaunt

The UK respects the sovereign authority and policies of our Allies in the Arctic region, and their consensus is to maintain the Arctic as a largely demilitarised region while recognising the need to ensure security of sovereign territory. This approach is shared by NATO, which does not maintain a presence in the Arctic. Nevertheless, the UK maintains the capability to operate in extreme cold environments, including the Arctic, and together with Allies we continue to monitor military activity in the region.