Lords Committee to question the Minister of State for Armed Forces and Veterans, and hear from experts from the US and Canada as Arctic inquiry continues

Session with Minister of State for Armed Forces and Veterans

On Tuesday 11 July at 11.00am the committee will hear from James Heappey MP, Minister of State for the Armed Forces in a session that will examine potential conflict flashpoints in the Arctic region, as well as the UK’s defence contribution in the High North as outlined in the Ministry of Defence’s policy paper on the subject.

The session will be available to watch live or on demand on Parliament TV, or attend in person in Committee Room 2, Palace of Westminster.

Questions for discussion will include:

• What is the Government’s assessment of the issues, triggers and flashpoints in the Arctic that could lead to crisis and potentially to conflict? To what extent has Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine led the Government to revise its view of the risk of conflict in the Arctic?
• Do we have sufficient capabilities to meet our expanding security commitments in the Arctic? The Royal Navy has no icebreakers and only one ship that is ice hardened (HMS Protector). Is this sufficient given the role the UK seeks to play in defence in the High North?
• How can the UK and its allies effectively deter maritime sabotage of underwater infrastructure in the High North?

Session with experts from the US and Canada

On Wednesday 12 July at 2.35pm the committee will hear from two panels of witnesses as it considers the strategic approaches of the United States and Canada towards the Arctic, and the role of international law in governance and regulation of the region.

The session will be available to watch live or on demand on Parliament TV, or attend in person in Committee Room 4, Palace of Westminster.

Giving evidence will be:

2.35pm

• Dr Rebecca Pincus, Director, Wilson Center Polar Institute; and
• Professor Paul Whitney Lackenbauer, Canada Research Chair, Trent University.

3.30pm

• Professor Michael Byers, Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law, University of British Columbia.

Questions for discussion will include:

• What are the key objectives for the US and Canada in the Arctic? How well-aligned are the Arctic strategies of Canada and the US?
• From the perspective of the US and Canada, what is the nature of the security threat posed by Russia in the Arctic? Has the calculus changed significantly since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine?
• From the perspective of international law, is it accurate to characterise the Arctic as an area of comparatively “high cooperation and low tension”?
• What role do the UN and the International Maritime Organisation play in the governance and regulation of the Arctic?