High North News - News, analysis and debate about politics and business in the North

Norway's New High North Strategy: "A Serious Backdrop"

Bodø, Northern Norway (High North News): "We need to think differently about how we cooperate north in the Nordic region, but also circumpolar, to be safer," said MFA State Secretary Maria Varteressian in connection with the launch of a new High North strategy. A strategy with a serious security policy backdrop, says researcher Andreas Østhagen.

Arne O. Holm says

Arne O. Holm

Norway’s High North Strategy: The Same Slogans, but an Entirely Different and Dramatic Situation

Comment from Kirkenes, Northern Norway: The Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide was state secretary in the Ministry of Defense when the Labor Party launched its first Arctic policy. Now, 20 years later, the problems remain the same, but the security policy situation is completely different.

Regjeringen setter polarforskning svært høyt, sier statsminister Jonas Gahr Støre. – Da vi la fram den nasjonale sikkerhetsstrategien 8. mai, hadde vi med et punkt om betydningen av at Norge forvalter og utvikler et idéforsprang på kunnskap i nord, påpeker han. (Foto: Astri Edvardsen)

Norway Under Pressure: A New Strategy for the High North in 2025

Op-ed: In a world where security policy is intertwined with all other policy areas and geo-economic rationales diverge from purely economic considerations, Norway must navigate increasing interest and interference in its northern regions. The Arctic and High North are increasingly arenas for power projection, geo-economics, and symbolic politics, writes researcher Andreas Østhagen.

Notices

POLITICS / 28.08.2025

Official Apology for the "Coil Campaign"

Naalakkersuisut (the Greenlandic government) and the Danish government are…

POLTICS / 20.08.2025

Strengthens the Finnmark Defense With Artillery

"The government is speeding up the announced purchase of K9 artillery guns…

POLITICS / 20.08.2025

Germany's Deputy Defense Minister Visits Greenland

Nils Schmid, the Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of…

SCIENCE / 20.08.2025

Rapid Ice-Melting in Svalbard

A brand new study shows that around 61.7 gigatons of ice disappeared from…

Svalbard-Longyearbyen

Svalbard Archipelago Lost 1% of Glacial Ice During Summer 2024 Heat Wave, New Study Finds

Record-level temperatures battered Svalbard during summer of 2024. Researchers have now quantified the damage the heatwave caused: One percent of the archipelago’s ice had disappeared by the end of the summer.

Digitaliserings- og forvaltningsminister Karianne Tung (Ap) og direktør for Nasjonal kommunikasjonsmyndighet John-Eivind Velure i Tromsø mandag for å lansere nyheten om at Nkom skal etablere seg i byen. Dette grepet er en del av regjeringens satsing på sikkerhet og beredskap i nord. (Foto: Astri Edvardsen)

Strengthens the Monitoring of GPS Interference in the High North

The Norwegian government is establishing a new office for the Norwegian Communications Authority in Tromsø, Northern Norway. "It is important to strengthen security and preparedness in the High North through the increased presence of the authorities," says the Minister of Digitalisation and Public Governance.

High North News investigates: The Russian Gas Flow

Eventin

Norway to Inspect Sanctioned Tankers in Efforts To Curb Russian Shadow Fleet

Norway has announced to begin inspecting foreign-flagged tankers passing through its…

Also see

EU Sanctions Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ Vessels Routinely Passing Through Norwegian Waters, Stopping at Honningsvåg

Russia to Earn $160bn in Taxes From Northern Sea Route by 2035, Arctic Region Accounts for 7.5 Percent of GDP

EU Proposes Russian Gas Ban for 2027 But Imports on the Rise Again, Norway Remains Top Supplier

Arc7 at Sabetta

French Shipyard Halts Service for Russian LNG Fleet, Leaving Danish Yard as Sole Western Provider

A French shipyard’s decision to stop servicing Russian liquefied natural gas vessels…

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

EU Proposes Phase-Out Of Russian Gas by 2027, Currently Spends €1.5bn Each Month on Imports

The European Commission announced the details for its proposed ban of Russian gas and…

Arc7 at Sabetta

Deliveries of Russian LNG from Yamal Hold Steady, EU Transshipment Ban Showing Little Effect

Following the EU’s transshipment ban on Russian LNG it remains business as usual for…

Arne O. Holm says

Arne O. Holm

The Spectacular Arctic: On Church Walks and Football

Kiruna: This week, I have wandered and biked around Kiruna, a Swedish mining city, home to 22.4000 inhabitants. The city is moving and even the old, beautiful church has been on a drive. Back in Norway, I've seen an Arctic football club, Bodø Glimt, take its first step into European top football.

Denne uka har Nkom i samarbeid med kystvaktfartøyet KV Barentshav gjennomført målinger mellom Kirkenes og Båtsfjord for å kartlegge mulige GPS-forstyrrelser i Barentshavet. (Foto: Nkom)

No New Signs of GPS Interference in the Barents Sea

After several reports of GPS disruptions in the Barents Sea at the start of August, the Norwegian Communications Authority has conducted its own examination. No disruptions were discovered this round, but the situation will be closely monitored.

port of nome

U.S. Awards Construction Contract for First Phase of Expanding Nome into Arctic Deepwater Port

Construction of America’s first Arctic deepwater port in Nome, Alaska is set to begin, almost two decades after first being proposed. The Army Corps of Engineers awarded a construction contract for Phase 1A of the project to Kiewit Infrastructure West.

Fra operasjon under Immediate Response i Nord-Sverige

Sweden to Host NATO's Logistics Headquarters in the Nordic Region

The Swedish city of Enköping is to host NATO's regional logistics headquarters. The establishment is part of the new military division of responsibilities in the Nordic region, and will support troop movements in NATO’s Northwest Area of Operations, says Professor Håkon Lunde Saxi at the Norwegian Defence Command and Staff College.

Oppstilling ved Porsangmoen leir under markeringen av opprettelsen av Finnmarksbrigaden. (Foto: Helene Sofie Thorkildsen/Forsvaret)

Norway Establishes New Brigade in the North

The Finnmark Land Defense on NATO’s northern flank has now been developed into the Finnmark Brigade, Norway’s first new brigade since the Cold War. "The aim is to deter those who do not wish us well," says the Norwegian Minister of Defense.

Spectacular Views: Kiruna Church Moves to a New City

Kiruna, Northern Sweden (High North News): Mining towns are a breed of their own. When the mines were empty, people moved on. In Kiruna, however, the municipality and LKAB see it differently. The city itself has relocated to make room for the iron ore mine. Yesterday, an over 100-year-old church was on the move.

Direktør for logistikk i USAs militære sjefsnemd, viseadmiral Dion D. English, og Leigh Method, statssekretær for logistikk i USAs forsvarsdepartement, førte an den amerikanske delegasjonen av logistikkledere på besøk i det nordlige Norden. Her er de i Norge sammen med sjefen for Forsvarsstaben, generalløytnant Ingrid Gjerde, og sjefen for Forsvarets logistikkorganisasjon, generalmajor Anders Jernberg. (Foto: Johannes Bærhaugen/Forsvaret)

US Military Logistics Leadership Visited the Northern Nordic Region

Norway, Sweden, and Finland recently welcomed the US Armed Forces logistics leadership for meetings focused on the High North. "We discussed which areas are central in logistics planning for conducting operations in the North," says the deputy commander of the Norwegian Defense Logistical Organisation.

The Arctic of the Past To Illuminate the Future Ice-Free Arctic Ocean

On Sunday, the Norwegian research vessel R/V Kronprins Haakon set sail for the Arctic Ocean. Aboard are researchers who will gather geological samples from the past in order to better understand the future of the Arctic.

Photo Series: Join Us in Old Kiruna

Kiruna, Northern Sweden (High North News): The city of Kiruna in Northern Sweden is being relocated to make room for mining under the city, leading the ground to sink and form cracks, which again poses a risk to the building and the inhabitants. Join High North News on a tour of the old and now-abandoned mining city.

Canadiske styrker øver ved Cambridge Bay på Victoriaøya, som ligger langs Nordvestpassasjen, under operasjon Nanook-Nunakput 2023. (Foto: Alana Morin/Canadas forsvar)

Canada Prioritizes Military Presence in the North

"Asserting sovereignty in the Canadian Arctic is becoming ever more important as our adversaries increase their activity in the region," says Canada's Minister of Defense, David McGuinty. This season, Canadian forces are deployed on multiple Arctic operations.

putin at belokamenka

Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 Sees Flurry of Activity Following Alaska Summit, Including Shipment of Valuable Gas Condensate

After months of inactivity Russian gas carriers in the Barents Sea simultaneously lifted their anchors as the Trump-Putin summit took place in Alaska. Then a gas condensate tanker loaded cargo at the Arctic LNG 2 project, a first in 2025.

Knowledge Needs for Navigating the Central Arctic Ocean

Op-ed: The Central Arctic Ocean is becoming more accessible for shipping. The ability to navigate at the top of the globe presents new opportunities, risks, and uncertainties. We need more transdisciplinary research to develop proactive responses to shipping growth.

Arne O. Holm says

Arne O. Holm

Putin Meeting Trump in the Arctic Has a Purely Practical, Not Political, Reasoning

Commentary: At the time of writing, the meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska is only hours away. The meeting takes place in the American Arctic for purely practical, not political reasons. The symbolism, however, is heavy.