UK and Norway form naval alliance to hunt Russian submarines

Britain and Norway have signed a defense agreement that will see them use a combined fleet to hunt Russian submarines in the North Atlantic.

The deal is designed to protect undersea cables, which British officials say are increasingly under threat from Moscow, with a 30% increase in the number of Russian ships detected in British waters in the past two years, according to the Ministry of Defense (MoD).

According to the agreement, the navies of the two NATO members will operate a fleet of British-made Type-26 frigates.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the agreement as “historic” and said it strengthened the UK’s ability to protect its critical infrastructure.

The announcement came as Sir Keir welcomed his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Støre to RAF Lossiemouth in northern Scotland on Thursday.

The two leaders will receive information from maritime patrol teams that follow Russian ships, including the spy ship Yantar. He was recently accused of pointing lasers to harass RAF pilots.

Russia describes Yantar, operated by the country’s Ministry of Defense, as an ocean research ship. Western countries frequently follow it in European waters and suspect part of its mission is to map undersea cables.

The UK relies heavily on its undersea cable network that carries data. There are also vital oil and gas pipelines connecting Britain to its North Sea neighbors such as Norway.

The Lunna House agreement, named after the Shetland Islands base used by the Norwegian resistance during World War II, £10bn UK-Norwegian warship deal It was signed in September.

Norwegian Defense Minister Tore O Sandvik, who signed the agreement with British Defense Minister John Healey, said that the two countries “will defend themselves together.”

At least 13 anti-submarine ships from the UK and Norway (at least five of which are Norwegian) will operate jointly in northern Europe.

The warships will monitor Russian naval movements in waters between Greenland, Iceland and the United Kingdom and protect seabed cables and pipelines critical to British communications, electricity and gas networks.

The agreement also covers joint war games and the use of UK-made Sting Ray torpedoes. Royal Marines will also train in Norway to fight in sub-zero conditions.

The two countries will also collaborate to develop “motherships” for crewless mine hunting and undersea warfare systems, and the Royal Navy will adopt advanced Norwegian Naval Attack Missiles capable of destroying enemy ships at ranges of more than 160 km (100 mi).

“In this new era of threats and with Russia’s increased activity in the North Atlantic, our strength comes from hard power and strong alliances,” Healey said.

Britain and its NATO allies have become increasingly concerned about the risk Moscow poses to underwater cables and pipelines, amid rising tensions following the invasion of Ukraine.

Ministry of Defense also stepped in Criticism to the commission consisting of MPs Because they are overly dependent on US defense resources and are unprepared to defend the UK and its overseas territories against military attack.

Attacks on undersea infrastructure could cause a “catastrophic disruption” to the financial and communications systems that Britons rely on, the National Security Strategy Committee warned in a statement. September report.