Introduction

The United Kingdom is not an Arctic state. However, it retains prominent interests in the region. These interests include energy, other resources and access, as well as the political desire to support its commitment to major international organizations whose member states have interests in the region. More widely, the UK remains committed to supporting measures designed to maintain global stability through a robust, rules-based international system. In terms of the Arctic, perhaps the most notable aspect of the UK's interest in the region is its physical position in the North Atlantic. This position, when coupled with the UK's significant military – in particular, naval – power, gives the UK significant politico-strategic leverage in matters relating to Arctic security.

Two aspects of the UK's geostrategic position are worth noting. First, as a major power in the North Atlantic, the UK sits only 100 nautical miles from the Faeroe Islands – islands regarded by the Arctic Council (of which the UK holds the position of an observer nation) as the southerly limit of the Arctic region. Second, alongside the political bridge the UK provides between North American states – particularly the United States – and Europe, in geostrategic terms it sits at the top of Northern Europe above the Dover Strait and English Channel and at the eastern end of the Greenland-Iceland-UK (GIUK) gap.