The Northern Flank: Royal Marine Reforms

Mar 11

Mar 11 The Northern Flank: Royal Marine Reforms

Since the revelation of the 2020 Army Reforms there has been much debate about the capabilities of the British armed forces, especially in
relation to the threat of Russian antagonism in Eastern Europe. This debate has escalated since it has been announced that the Royal Marines shall be reformed moving back towards an amphibious operations role. As the arctic warfare specialist of the United Kingdom and arguably the best trained and resourced arctic troops in NATO a question has arisen around the security of the so-called ‘northern flank’. If Russia were to push into Europe through Scandinavia and the Arctic would NATO be able to react effectively?

What is NATO’s strategy?

The invasion of Europe through its northern flank has always been of concern to NATO planners. It is for this reason that in 2018 exercise Trident Juncture was carried out. This was an integrated military operation involving 31 NATO nations, in air, sea and land capabilities. This was followed up in November 2019 with NATO Exercise Trident Jupiter 19-1. This exercise focused on more specialist skills such as biological and chemical defence.

The maritime defence of the northern flank is currently under review but it is worth examining land defence strategies. National militaries, boosted by other nations’ forward presence, will act as the central defence mechanism for Scandinavia. This forward presence has notably been drawn back in the last 20 years with Britain deciding in 2010 that it would remove its military presence in Germany. This was completed last year as the last British base was handed back to German forces. This means it is ever more important for domestic defence to be strong in states such as Estonia, Norway and Sweden.

The main defence of the northern flank will now be based on the NATO Reaction Force (NRF) and more specifically the Very High Readiness Joint
Task Force (VJTF) created after the 2014 Wales conference. The VJTF plans to operate in a similar fashion to the British Expeditionary Force at the beginning
of the First World War. Formed of specialist units, this high-readiness force would act as a speed bump to slow a Russian attack, hopefully delaying for the
arrival of the NRF. In the words of Colonel (R) Andrew Budd (Head Capabilities Section, Defence Policy Directorate at NATO Headquarters, Brussels) the NRF shall then act as NATO’s ‘one shot force’ to hold a Russian advance while further reinforcement can be accrued. In essence, this means the NRF will try to hold a Russian advance until the United States and other large NATO powers can bring in the full force of their militaries.

The United Kingdom falls under the role of the NRF and VJTF. Using the intensely mobile capabilities of units such as 3 Commando Brigade and
16 air assault brigade the UK would seek to operate as a key member of the immediate reinforcement forces. Britain has already reaffirmed this position by
committing to a high readiness role from the 1st January 2020. This puts the UK as one of the few non-eastern European nations to commit to this role alongside Spain and Italy.

Royal Marine Reforms

The Royal Marine reforms complement the development of the British military more generally. The Army Reforms 2020 proposed the creation of
strike brigades such as 16 Air Assault Brigade based in Colchester, Essex. These brigades aim to extend Britain's influence across the globe allowing for high
readiness deployment if a conflict arises. This restructure was initially limited to the Army. However, in 2017 it was announced the Royal Marines would
return to its roots as an amphibious force. In line with this 42 Commando have been instructed that they shall be given a new mandate to act as a specialist
maritime security unit; as a group they shall focus on amphibious warfare. This is a huge development given that in recent memory 42 commando has focused on land-based operations, namely Operation Telic (2003) and Operation Herrick (2009).

This new assignment has been received with fury by many for it is seen to be a reduction in the power of the Royal Marines who are currently viewed by many as the facet of British defence with the most diverse capabilities. It is questionable whether 42 Commando will even be recognisable from its partnering group, 43 Fleet Protection Group, in the coming years. These are still early days in the reform program and it yet to be shown how the results will manifest themselves. Nonetheless, concerns over the UK’s commitment to the northern flank are growing.

Where do we stand on the Northern Flank?

One of the biggest concerns promulgated by Andrew Budd is that there is a political reluctance to commit to land forces during peacetime. This is believed to be one of the intentions behind the Royal Marine reforms. This having been said any fear of abandonment of the northern flank seems unfounded. As said earlier, the British government has committed to act on the VJTF as of the start of this year and Gavin Williamson, the former Defence Secretary, committed the Royal Marines to a ten year arctic training campaign, culminating in a brigade-sized deployment to the region. This commitment can already be seen to be being carried out. 42 Commando flew to Belarus on March 1st to conduct cold-weather training for two weeks, and the Commando Helicopter force are currently deployed in Norway alongside the Army Air Corps, conducting flying in cold weather training. Beyond this, the potential amphibious capabilities of the future 42 Commando may in fact be a benefit to the defence of the northern flank. The role of the UK has always been ultimately the maritime defence of the arctic channels. With the melting of ice sheets and the developments of the Russian icebreaker fleet, this task is proving more difficult. Therefore the integration of mobile land capabilities and maritime capacities may lead to a more developed UK defence force for the northern flank, the focus on maritime security can be seen by the procurement of 9 P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

In an official document published in 2018 quoted below, the government assures of the UK’s intention to remain committed to NATO’s defence strategy of the northern flank. We cannot at this stage judge all of the consequences of the Royal Marine reforms, yet the fearmongering around the defence of this strategically crucial region seems overstated. In fact, in both word and action the UK seems to remain committed to the active protection of the north.

“The build-up of Arctic military capabilities by several Arctic States makes the future less certain. The UK remains committed to preserving the stability and security of the Arctic region. We will work with our international partners and allies through defence engagement, bilateral and multilateral security cooperation. This will include essential cold weather training exercises and participation in the Arctic Security Forces Roundtable. NATO also remains a central plank for cooperation among its Arctic State members”

- Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Beyond the Ice: UK policy towards the Arctic, April 2018