NATO Secretary General outlines new activity - Arctic Sentry - ahead of Defence Ministers meeting

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On Wednesday 11 February 2026, ahead of a meeting of Allied Defence Ministers at NATO headquarters, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte set out plans for a new multi-domain activity – Arctic Sentry – to bolster security in the Arctic and High North.

With Russia’s increasing military activity and China’s growing interest in the Arctic, Allies have agreed to do more to ensure our collective security in this vital region.

The multi-domain activity will be led by Joint Force Command Norfolk and will further strengthen NATO’s posture in the Arctic and High North by bringing together NATO and Allied activities into one, overarching operational approach.

Initially it will include exercises like Denmark’s Arctic Endurance and Norway’s Cold Response – activities involving tens of thousands of personnel and the equipment they need to operate successfully in Arctic conditions.

In his remarks to press, Mr Rutte praised increased Allied defence spending, urged a continued focus on defence production, and detailed his expectations for the upcoming meeting of Allied Defence Ministers.

“Investment is up by tens of billions”, Mr Rutte said, commending Allies for the real progress achieved in line with commitments made at the Summit in The Hague. He further welcomed agreement on a new distribution of senior officer posts in NATO’s Command Structure – with European Allies, including the newest NATO members, taking on greater responsibility - as an example of effective burden-sharing. “We are doing this together” he emphasised “Re-distributing roles in ways that make sense for all involved.”

In addition to a meeting among the 32 NATO Ministers, the Secretary General confirmed that a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council would also take place on Thursday, with Allies joined by Ukraine’s new Defence Minister, Mykhailo Fedorov and a representative of the European Union, a key NATO partner. Following the NATO meeting, Ministers will take part in a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group led by the United Kingdom and Germany. “Ukraine cannot sustain this fight or secure the peace alone,” Mr Rutte stressed. “This is why Allies have backed Ukraine with action – not just words – since the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly four years ago.”