Britain and Norway announced a new defense pact on Thursday that will see their navies jointly operate a fleet of warships to track Russian submarines and protect vulnerable undersea cables in the North Atlantic.
The move comes amid a sharp rise in Russian naval activity. The UK’s Ministry of Defence says sightings of Russian vessels in British waters have jumped 30% in the past two years.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre met UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Downing Street, calling the pact “a very important agreement on defense cooperation and integration.”
“This is about acknowledging where Europe stands and what we need to protect our security for the future,” Støre said, noting the two countries “share waters” and a “strategic environment.”
Joint fleet to guard critical infrastructure
Under the deal, both countries will jointly operate 13 British-built Type 26 frigates on an “interchangeable” basis. The ships will patrol the key stretch of ocean between Greenland, Iceland and the UK – a chokepoint long watched by NATO for Russian submarine movements.
According to the MoD, the mission includes defending undersea cables and pipelines that carry communications, electricity and gas – infrastructure Western officials say is increasingly at risk from Moscow.
“At a time of global instability, as more Russian ships are being detected in our waters, we must work with international partners to protect our national security,” Starmer said.
Concerns over Russia’s activity near offshore infrastructure have been growing. Last month, UK Defence Minister John Healey accused the Russian ship Yantar of entering British waters twice this year and directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots – calling the act “deeply dangerous.”
Norway, a major NATO naval power in the Arctic, announced in September it would buy at least five Type 26 frigates from Britain for £10 billion ($13 billion). The ships are being built by BAE Systems, which beat out French, German and US competitors.
Starmer and Støre are due to visit a Royal Air Force base in northern Scotland later on Thursday, Dec. 4.