ELITE Royal Marine commandos train for Actic Special Ops as Britain opens talks with Norway counter threats from Russia in the High North.
Defence Secretary John Healey met his counterpart Tore Sandvik at Norway’s Bodo military HQ buried deep inside a mountain.
PAElite Royal Marine commandos train for arctic Special Ops[/caption]
Commandos launch shells from Vikings in NorwayPA
Healey said a “new era of threat” demanded new kinds of defence.
He said: “We will create a new era of defence partnership to bring us closer than ever before as we tackle increasing threats, strengthen Nato, and boost our security in the High North.”
Ex-SBS boss General Sir Gwynn Jenkins met troops from the Surveillance Reconnaissance Squadron on the spy ship RFA Proteus.
The MoD said the troops, who can deploy from nuclear submarines, were “training for special operations in the High North”.
The commandos are set to join 7,000 troops on exercise Joint Viking.
Putin’s plans to carve up the arctic were highlighted by the presence of Vladimir Proskuryakov, an arctic expert, at peace talks US officials in Saudi Arabia last week.
Proskuryakov is normally based at the Russian embassy in Canada.
Russian officials did not explain his role at Riyadh talks.