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BRITTANY will send 800 troops to the Arctic next year to prevent Russia from seizing land while the ice caps are melting.
Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson said ministers were developing a new strategy in which hundreds of commandos would be deployed in Norway to deal with Russia's growing threat "in our backyard".
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He said that Russia had reopened Soviet bases unused for years and that increased underwater activity in the region meant that Britain had to protect its own interests.
Ministers are worried about the melting of the Arctic ice, Russian President Putin will try to seize the land and intensify its activities in this country. Climate change has also caused a rush to exploit oil reserves.
Mr Williamson said at the party conference in Birmingham today: "As the ice melts, new shipping routes are emerging and the importance of this region is increasing.
"Our Poseidon submarines, based in Lossiemouth, will follow the Russian submarines and allow us to stay at home and help our NATO allies."
PA: Press Association
He added: "And we will intensify our training with our Norwegian friends, with 800 Royal Marine formations a year in Norway ….
"Beyond the Far North and the Arctic, we must be ready and show that we are ready to face the threats as they emerge."
He said Russia "is increasing its military activity in the Arctic with more submarines operating more and more under the ice" and had the ambition to build 100 facilities there.
In November, Britain will deploy 3,000 troops as part of a NATO-led NATO training exercise in that country as well.
Gavin Williamson will form a new army of cyber-cadets
Gavin Williamson has announced that thousands of cyber-students will be trained to protect Britain from cyber attacks.
2,000 young people will be trained to fight against hacking attacks as part of a joint project with GCHQ and the National Cybersecurity Center.
He told the Birmingham annual party conference that the program "would teach young people the skills they need to succeed in today's world.
"This investment in cadets is an investment in the future of our young people.
"It's an investment in all our futures."
He also wants to increase the number of cadets in schools from 43,000 to 60,000.
"We are teaching them new skills essential to success in today's world – where it is essential to be well informed online and to protect against cyberattacks," he added.
The defense secretary also said that one of Britain's new Type 26 frigates will be called HMS Birmingham, becoming the fourth Royal Navy ship to bear the name.
And he promised to protect the funding that threatened two vital landing craft, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark.
Last night, Sir Michael Fallon warned that Novichok's poison attacks should be a "wake up call" to the threat posed by Vladimir Putin's regime.
He said Britain should increase its military spending to fight the growing threat of Russia.
Increasing defense spending to only 2.5% of national income by 2022 would give our armed forces an additional 7.7 billion pounds a year, he argued.
Sir Michael also wants Russian companies using the city of London to be prevented from raising funds to support the Kremlin military machine.
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