BRUSSELS, Oct 17 (Reuters) - NATO countries have joined forces to improve satellite coverage in the Arctic, a NATO official said on Friday, a region that is home to Moscow's nuclear submarine fleet and whose strategic importance has soared due to Russia's war on Ukraine.

On the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Brussels on Thursday, 13 allies signed a letter of intent aiming to establish a secure satellite communications network for the Arctic called Northlink, the official told Reuters.

"The Arctic's strategic role is becoming ever more important because of the tense geopolitical situation," said the official who was speaking on condition of anonymity.

"At the same time, the region lacks sufficient satellite coverage for communication and navigation, and thus also for military operations," he said.

Northlink aims to improve satellite coverage in the coming years by leasing commercial services or sourcing capacities from allies, he added.

The signatories to the project are Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United States.

The Kola Peninsula in the Arctic is home to Russia's Northern Fleet, which operates the country's nuclear submarine fleet and holds its "second strike" capability - the ability to strike back with its own nuclear weapons should it come under nuclear attack.

(Reporting by Sabine Siebold in Brussels and Gwladys Fouche in Oslo Editing by Gareth Jones)