The UK doubles number of troops in Norway
One day ahead of NATO’s launch of its so-called Arctic Sentry, the UK defence minister announced that the number of British troops training in Norway will be increased to 2,000.
"So I am here deep in the Arctic, in Norway, it is my fourth visit as defence minister to Norway and each time I come I see the evidence of a deeper and deeper partnership between our two nations," UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey said in a statement on social media.
Healey was on a visit to the north Norwegian Troms region together with Norwegian colleague Tore O. Sandvik. The two countries are in the process of lifting defence cooperation to a historically high level.
"Today I am announcing that we’re doubling the number of UK troops training in these harsh conditions combining our mission planning and our rehearsal with the Norwegians," Healey said.
The growing commitments in the region comes after the UK and Norway signed the historical Lunna House defence cooperation agreement in December 2025.
According to the Norwegian Defence Minister Sandvik, the British forces will be in Norway on rotational level
Following the bilateral talks in Troms, the two ministers headed towards Brussels where they will take part in the NATO defence minister’s meeting. Plans for a so-called Arctic Sentry are on the table.
According to General Secretary Mark Rutte, the Arctic Sentry will be a ‘multi-domain activity’ that is to "bolster security in the Arctic and High North."
It will be led by Joint Force Command Norfolk and contribute to "bringing together NATO and Allied activities into one, overarching operational approach."
