Details of the most worrying threats to the UK and Europe’s security have been revealed.
As Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron toured a NATO military base in north-west London on Thursday, they were shown a map of the dangers facing the alliance at sea.
These maritime security challenges span four continents, and expose the threats posed from major superpowers all the way to pirates.
The revelation came just before Starmer and Macron signed a historic new defence relationship agreeing to co-ordinate nuclear deterrence systems.
Here, Metro takes a deep dive into some of these dangers troubling NATO commanders most.
Arctic: sovereignty questions, new commercial routes and China
The Arctic Circle became the centre of geopolitical tensions after Donald Trump demanded the US take Greenland out of Denmark’s hands.
The US President made his reasoning clear in a speech to Congress in March: ‘We need Greenland for national security and even international security.’
The Arctic Five – Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the US – all operate in the frosty north, for example by fishing and with oil and gas exploration.
While the group used to co-operate, that has now broken down, with Russia even conducting military exercises in the region.
Trump’s climate scepticisms has also strained relations over the crucial warming ice sheets.
However as climate change ramps up temperatures, new opportunities risk further tensions.
If the arctic becomes ice-free, that will open up new trade routes through the North Pole – something of particular interest to China.
They consider themselves a near-Arctic state and investing more in the region – which also offers valuable deposits critical minerals.
Growing Russian and Chinese influence in North Africa
As European eyes are on the conflict in Ukraine, Russia and China are expanding their reach in North Africa in ways that threaten NATO.
Russia is providing security support to juntas across the mineral-rich Sahel region, just as Senegal and Ivory Coast demand French troops leave their countries.
Follow Metro on WhatsApp to be the first to get all the latest news
Metro’s on Whatsapp! Join our community for breaking news and juicy stories.
Putin has deepened its ties with the north African state of Libya, where it is negotiating a new naval base at Derna, which could mean Russian warships near to NATO naval activities.
China is making similar inroads as the West’s power appears to wane.
The US downsized and pulled its troops out of Niger last year, just months before China ramped up its military activities in Africa.
Xi Jingping held a China-Africa co-operation summit in September 2024, where he promised to train the 6,000 military personnel and invited 500 African officers to visit China.
The country also runs an overseas base in Djibouti, giving it a foothold to a chokepoint which controls access to the vital Suez Canal.
Undersea activities
The sea bed is becoming the new battleground for state sabotage.
Crucial undersea cables, which transmit vast swathes of internet and telecommunications, are being cut around Europe – with many blaming Russia and China.
On Boxing Day last year, Finland seized a cargo ship carrying Russian oil, which the authorities suspected had damaged four undersea cables with Estonia and Germany.
This is not the first time this has happened. In November 2024, cables linking Sweden to Lithuania and Finland to Germany were damaged.
This time, investigators linked the disruption to a Chinese-owned ship, which was accused of dragging its anchor along the seabed to cut the cables, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In response to these and a string of other incidents, NATO launched Baltic Sentry, a mission aimed at ramping up the alliance’s presence around the cables.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
