The Royal Marines in the High North: Shaping the Maritime Battle

This paper examines how the Royal Marines are reshaping UK and NATO maritime strategy in the High North to counter Russian threats and secure regional stability. It analyses the evolving operational role of the UK Commando Force, highlighting the need for specialised agile units to address modern security challenges in the Arctic and Norwegian Sea.

Key Recommendations

The paper supports the reorganisation of the Royal Marines into three specialised components: a forward-deployed special operations task group, a specialised advanced amphibious force and a maritime operations group.

The paper also recommends:

• prioritising the rapid degradation of Russian air and missile defences on the Kola Peninsula to enable Allied naval operations;
• securing and utilising key offshore islands to support hybrid fleet operations and deny Russia critical terrain; and
• enhancing maritime special operations to constrain Russian auxiliary activities and protect Allied situational awareness.