Overview
- The bilateral agreement, set to be signed in London, establishes joint monitoring of the North Atlantic with a focus on the GIUK gap.
- Plans call for more than a dozen patrol vessels, with the UK preparing eight ships and Norway at least five, augmented by unmanned systems.
- Britain has committed to build at least 13 Type 26 anti‑submarine frigates to underpin the effort over the long term.
- A central aim is to safeguard vulnerable undersea cables and pipelines that carry global data, an area where NATO still faces significant surveillance challenges.
- The British government reported recent encounters with Russian ships, including the reconnaissance vessel Jantar disrupting pilots with lasers, and media note Moscow routes submarines through the GIUK corridor.