Alliances beneath the depths: A joint British-Norwegian fleet to counter Russian submarines

The United Kingdom and Norway will sign a defence cooperation agreement on Thursday that provides for the deployment of a joint frigate fleet “to monitor Russian submarines” in the North Atlantic.

A statement from the UK Ministry of Defence said the agreement comes only a few months after Norway announced the purchase of at least five Type 26 frigates from the British group BAE Systems, valued at ten billion pounds (13.4 billion dollars).

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The new agreement, expected to be confirmed during the visit to London by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and his Defence Minister Bjørn Arild Gram, stipulates that the two countries will deploy a fleet of at least thirteen frigates, eight of them British and the remainder corresponding to those acquired by Oslo.

According to the statement, the fleet, “capable of rapid deployment anywhere,” will be tasked with “tracking Russian submarines and protecting vital British infrastructure,” although no timeline for deployment has been provided.

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London has recorded a 30% increase in Russian submarine activity in its territorial waters over the past two years, amid heightened tensions with Moscow due to the war in Ukraine.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “We must work with our international partners to safeguard our national security at a time of deep global instability, and in light of the growing number of Russian vessels detected in our waters.”

He added: “This historic agreement with Norway strengthens our ability to protect our borders and the critical infrastructure on which our country relies.”

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UK Defence Secretary John Healey had previously warned Russia after the Russian naval vessel “Yantar” was detected in British waters for the second time this year.

Healey explained that the Yantar was now positioned at the edge of British waters north of Scotland, and that it had for the first time directed a laser beam at Royal Air Force pilots monitoring its activities.

In August, Norway announced it had selected the offer from the British group BAE Systems for the purchase of new frigates, preferring it over the French Naval Group.

The vessels are scheduled to be delivered to the Norwegian Navy starting in 2030.

Germany and the United States had also sought to secure this contract.

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