February 11, New Delhi – Britain announced on Wednesday that it would increase its troops stationed in Norway and play a crucial role in a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Arctic mission in response to rising Russian threats. The UK's decision to double its troops in Norway from 1,000 to 2,000 over the next three years comes as the US was preparing to cede two key regional NATO command posts to pressure allies to take greater responsibility for their defense. The UK and Norway signed a new defense pact last December, which would see their navies jointly operate a warship in the North Atlantic.