NATO is stepping up its Arctic patrols. A key goal is getting eyes on Russian subs before they can disappear ...
NATO is stepping up its Arctic patrols. A key goal is getting eyes on Russian subs before they can disappear into deep water.
Mar 14, 2026, 7:37 AM ET
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Across air, land, and sea, NATO's presence and overall activity in the region have more than doubled over the last two to three years, said Vice Adm. Rune Andersen, chief of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters.
Andersen said that the surge is "partially a response to increased Russian out-of-area deployments with the submarines" and "a need to keep track of that."
Russia maintains one of the world's largest submarine fleets, with an estimated 64 active boats. The Northern Fleet, based in the Murmansk region on the Barents Sea, operates dozens.
To get from Murmansk to the Atlantic Ocean or the Mediterranean and Baltic seas, Russian submarines often sail west through the Arctic before turning south and going through the North Sea or the waters in between Greenland, Iceland, and the UK — a naval chokepoint known as the GIUK gap.
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https://www.businessinsider.com/nato-trying-catch-russian-submarines-arctic-before-they-disappear-atlantic-2026-3