By Liu Yiao and Zhang Chengwang
刘一澳 张承旺
40 Commando Royal Marines of the UK take part in Exercise Arctic Tide.
英国海军陆战队第40突击队队员参加“北极潮”演习。
Recently, the UK, together with Norway, the US, and other allies, conducted multiple cross-service joint exercises in northern Norway. In early October, the UK, Norway, and the US carried out joint training on Jan Mayen Island. In mid-October, the 40 Commando Royal Marines and the Norwegian Armed Forces completed the 10-day Exercise Arctic Tide in the Tromsø Fjord region.
近期，英国牵头与挪威、美国等盟友，在挪威北部地区举行多场跨军种联合演习：10月上旬，英国、挪威与美国在挪威扬马延岛展开联合演习；10月中旬，英国海军陆战队第40突击队与挪威武装部队在特罗姆瑟峡湾完成为期10天的“北极潮”演习。
The exercises, which covered amphibious assaults, infiltration operations, and fire support, underscore the UK's strategic intent to accelerate its Arctic deployment and strengthen its military presence in the region. Analysts believe that the series of joint exercises recently conducted by the UK in the Arctic is not only aimed at enhancing allied interoperability but also represents a carefully planned strategic maneuver serving its strategic interests. Specifically, the UK's objectives can be summarized in three main aspects.
演习涉及登陆突击与渗透作战、火力支援等领域，凸显英国加快北极布局、强化该地区军事存在的战略意图。有分析认为，英国近期在北极地区举行的一系列联合演习，既有助于加强盟友间合作，也是一场经过精心策划的战略布局，服务于英国战略利益。具体来看，其主要目的集中在三个方面。
The first is to safeguard strategic Arctic sea routes. As Arctic ice continues to melt, new shipping routes open, and competition for resources intensifies, the UK has consecutively issued reports such as the Defence Arctic Strategy and the UK's Defense Contribution in the High North, emphasizing the strategic importance of Arctic sea routes to the country. The UK views Jan Mayen Island as a crucial node of the Greenland–Iceland–UK line of defense and a key vantage point for monitoring North Atlantic maritime routes. During the joint exercise conducted by the UK, Norway, and the US on Jan Mayen Island, a UK Air Force A400M transport aircraft landed on the island for the first time, delivering multinational troops and equipment. This exercise not only validated the UK's force projection capability in polar regions but also enhanced its ability to monitor vital Arctic waterways, paving the way for a more sustained military presence in high-latitude areas such as Norway.
首先，维护北极战略通道安全。随着北极冰层融化加剧、新航道开辟与资源竞争升温，英国接连出台《北极防务战略》《英国在高北地区的防务贡献》等报告，强调北极战略航道对本国的重要性。英国认为，扬马延岛是“格陵兰—冰岛—英国”防线的关键节点，也是监控北大西洋航道的战略要地，具有重要战略意义。在英国、挪威与美国在扬马延岛开展的联合演习中，英国空军A400M运输机首次着陆该岛，并完成多国兵力与装备投送。此次演习不仅验证了英国在极地地区的投送能力，也帮助其强化对北极关键水道的实际监控能力，为推动在挪威等高纬度地区的常态化军事存在铺路。
The second is to enhance regional influence and discourse power. The UK asserts that the series of exercises was conducted under the framework of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), with the outcomes serving as a key basis for the force's future training. Led by the UK, the JEF currently includes Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and is designed to carry out rapid military interventions independently without banking on NATO frameworks. In fact, aside from the UK, only Norway participated in the exercises among JEF members. By emphasizing the connection between the exercises and the JEF, the UK aims to demonstrate its influence in regional defense and reinforce its leadership position.
其次，提高地区影响力与话语权。英国声称，上述系列演习在“联合远征部队”框架下展开，演习成果将作为该部队后续训练的重要依托。该部队由英国主导，现有成员包括挪威、丹麦、瑞典、芬兰、冰岛、爱沙尼亚、拉脱维亚和立陶宛，特点是无需依托北约框架，即可快速实施军事干预。事实上，除英国外，此次参与演习的“联合远征部队”成员国仅有挪威，英国强调演习与该部队的关联，意在向外界展示其在区域防务中的影响力，并巩固主导地位。
The third is to test equipment performance and force adaptability to polar conditions. The extreme environment in the Arctic, like low temperatures, high winds, and prolonged polar day and night, poses severe challenges to fighter avionics, transport aircraft takeoff and landing performance, vehicle drivability, and soldiers' physiological and psychological resilience. In response, earlier this year, the UK announced a roughly £10 million (about $13.34 million) investment to procure snow specific equipment and dispatched members of its Future Commando Force to the Viking base in northern Norway for rotational training to boost its polar warfare capabilities. The recent exercises complement those efforts, aiming to collect real-world operational data and address shortcomings in equipment design and Arctic operational concepts.
再次，检验装备性能与部队极地适应性。北极地区的低温、强风、极昼极夜等极端条件，对战斗机航电系统、运输机起降性能、车辆驾驶系统以及士兵生理心理均构成严峻挑战。为此，今年年初，英国宣布投入约1000万英镑（约合1334万美元）采购雪地装备，并派遣“未来突击队”队员赴挪威极北地区维京基地轮训，以提升极地作战能力。此次系列演习与上述行动呼应，目的是收集真实作战环境数据，解决装备设计与作战模式存在的问题。