Spanish
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store presented a defense agreement this Thursday in London that includes a naval alliance "to counter the Russian submarine threat Russian".
This new cooperation, valued at 10 billion pounds (about USD 13.3 billion), responds to the concern about Moscow's growing submarine activity near critical infrastructure in the North Atlantic and the 30% increase in the sighting of Russian ships in British waters in the last two years, according to figures from the British Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The agreement provides that the Navies of both countries —both members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)— will jointly operate a fleet of at least 13 Type 26 frigates, all assembled in the United Kingdom and specially designed for anti-submarine warfare.
"This historic agreement with Norway strengthens our ability to protect our borders and the critical infrastructure that our nations depend on," Starmer said during the signing of the pact.
The joint device will patrol the extensive waters that stretch between Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom, key areas for the defense of submarine cables and pipelines that carry communications, electricity, and gas.
"The fleet will hunt Russian submarines and protect critical infrastructure in the North Atlantic," detailed the MoD, which highlighted the importance of the agreement in the face of "deep global instability" and the need to cooperate with international allies.
For its part, Store described the pact as "a very important agreement of cooperation and integration" and added: "This is really about the present. It's about recognizing where Europe is and what we need to ensure the security of the future."
In recent months, both the United Kingdom and other Western countries have expressed concern about the possibility of Russian attacks or sabotage against telecommunications and energy cables in deep water, following several suspicious incidents. The MoD itself reported that defense officials consider critical infrastructure to be increasingly threatened by Moscow's presence.
Last month, British Defence Minister John Healey warned Russia after reporting that a Russian military vessel, the Yantar, had entered British waters for the second time this year and directed lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, in behavior he described as "deeply dangerous".
The agreement also includes plans for British Royal Marines to conduct annual training in Norway to strengthen their preparation in polar conditions, as well as the integration of the United Kingdom into a Norwegian program for the development of mother ships for unmanned underwater warfare and mine clearance systems. According to the MoD, "we will patrol the North Atlantic as one, train together in the Arctic and develop the advanced equipment that will keep our populations safe, today and in the future," in Healey's words.
The agreement includes the creation of more than 4,000 jobs within the British naval industry, thanks to the commissioning of frigates to BAE Systems, a company that has surpassed the competition from French, German, and American companies for this contract. In September, Norway had already announced the purchase of at least five Type 26 frigates within the same budgetary framework.
The agreement was signed after high-level meetings at the official residence of Downing Street and was followed by a visit by both leaders to the Royal Air Force base in Lossiemouth, Scotland. Both sides highlighted the need to protect national security and key infrastructure, addressing what they consider a hybrid campaign by Russia to destabilize Western allies following the large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
