Overview
- Defence Secretary John Healey and Norwegian Defence Minister Tore O. Sandvik signed the agreement in Downing Street, as Keir Starmer hosted Jonas Gahr Støre at RAF Lossiemouth.
- The pact creates a combined anti-submarine force of eight British and at least five Norwegian Type 26 frigates to patrol the GIUK gap and safeguard undersea infrastructure.
- The UK reports a 30% increase in Russian vessels near its waters over two years, with recent tracking of the intelligence ship Yantar that Russia describes as a research vessel.
- Measures include UK adoption of Norwegian Naval Strike Missiles, deeper collaboration on Sting Ray torpedoes, joint wargaming, year-round Royal Marines Arctic training, and a push on autonomous systems.
- The arrangement builds on a £10bn shipbuilding deal supporting over 4,000 UK jobs, with full-scale joint patrols expected once Type 26 deliveries ramp up later this decade into the early 2030s.