Norway’s Ministry of Defence has released a preliminary set of regulations that would allow for an expansion of military police powers on Jan Mayen, a secluded Arctic island under Norwegian control. The proposal, which remains open for public and stakeholder feedback until next month, seeks to broaden the territorial reach of the country’s current military policing legislation to cover the island.
Officials say the proposed adjustment reflects a more unpredictable security environment, along with the likelihood of increased Norwegian and allied activity in the region in the future. Jan Mayen is an uninhabited volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean, situated about 500 kilometers east of Greenland. It functions as both a weather monitoring station and a military facility, staffed by a small number of Norwegian defense personnel on a rotating basis.
The island is home to Jan Mayensfield, a modest airstrip that supports occasional military flights and the transport of supplies and personnel. Under the proposed framework, Jan Mayen could be formally designated a military zone. In such a case, the commanding officer stationed there would be empowered to take action to uphold security and address or prevent legal violations, in accordance with the Military Police Act.
Earlier this year, Norway also unveiled plans for a new subsea fiber-optic cable intended to connect the mainland with the Arctic territories of Svalbard and Jan Mayen. The island has previously drawn international attention, notably in 2020, when a visit by U.S. Air Force personnel prompted criticism from Russia’s Foreign Ministry. During that visit, U.S. officials inspected the airfield to determine whether C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft could operate there. Moscow later described the visit as troubling, interpreting it as part of Norway’s growing military posture directed at Russia and a factor contributing to regional instability.
As Arctic ice recedes and access improves, nations with territories in the far north are increasingly viewing these remote areas as strategically sensitive. A recent report by the Arctic Institute highlighted Svalbard’s exposure to potential tensions with Russia. Yet Scandinavian governments are also monitoring other sources of risk. Denmark, for example, named the United States as a possible security concern for the first time in its latest intelligence assessment, following comments by President Donald Trump expressing interest in acquiring Greenland.
