Ten countries have signed up to a new U.K.-led collective force seeking to boost maritime security in the North Atlantic, the Baltic Sea and the High North.
The Northern Navies agreement has now been signed by all ten nations which make up the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), as per a Royal Navy press statement.
It said the new accord “underscores a shared commitment among JEF partners to move beyond periodic activity towards a more integrated maritime enterprise enabling forces to combine rapidly, operate seamlessly and respond decisively and immediately to emerging threats.”
The U.K. will take the lead in encouraging the other nine nations — Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden — to align training, doctrine and systems to point where it’s possible to swap everything from ammunition to personnel across participating navies as required.
The RN’s First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins dubbed his vision for the new force as “NATO’s vanguard” and added: “This is about shifting from periodic cooperation to a truly integrated approach where our forces can combine at pace and fight immediately together when required to do so.
“By strengthening our frameworks and partnership, we are building a more credible maritime force — one that enhances our deterrence along our open sea border with Russia, supports NATO and provides real options to political leaders in times of crisis and conflict…
“We are creating a forward, high-readiness force capable of responding rapidly in the early stages of escalation and seamlessly transitioning into NATO command if required.”
- You can read more details on the Royal Navy website
