UK and Norway form naval alliance to hunt Russian submarines

The United Kingdom and Norway have signed a defense agreement that will see them deploy a joint fleet to hunt Russian submarines in the North Atlantic. According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the agreement is designed to shield undersea cables, which British officials say are increasingly under threat from Moscow, with a 30 percent rise in Russian vessels spotted in UK waters over the last two years. A fleet of British-built Type-26 frigates will be operated by the navies from the two Nato member states under the charter. The deal, according to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, historic increases the UK's ability to shield its critical infrastructure.

Sir Keir welcomes Norwegian counterpart Jonas Strere to RAF Lossiemouth in northern Scotland on Thursday. The two leaders will hear from maritime patrol teams who have been following Russian vessels, including the spy ship Yantar, which was recently accused of pointing lasers to destabilize RAF pilots. Yantar, which is operated by the country's Ministry of Defense, is described by Russia as an oceanic research vessel. Western nations have often followed it in European waters, and they suspect part of its mission has been to map undersea cables. The United Kingdom is heavily dependent on its network of undersea cables that carry data. Oil and gas pipelines linking Britain and North Sea neighbors, such as Norway, are also essential.

A £10 billion UK-Norway warship contract signed in September, the Lunna House deal, named after the Shetland Isles base used by the Norwegian resistance during the World War II, is backed by a £10 million UK-North Tore O Sandvik, the Norwegian Defence Minister who signed the agreement with UK Defence Secretary John Healey, said the two countries will "defend themselves together. At least 13 anti-submarine ships from the United Kingdom and Norway - at least five of them Norwegian - will operate jointly in northern Europe. The warships will monitor Russian naval movements in the waters between Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom, defending seabed cables and pipelines that are vital to British communications, electricity, and gas networks. The deal also extends to joint war games and the use of Sting Ray torpedoes manufactured in the United Kingdom. In addition, Royal Marines will be trained in Norway to fight in sub-zero temperatures.

The two countries will also collaborate on motherships for uncrewed mine hunting and undersea warfare, as well as undersight of the Royal Navy, which can destroy enemy ships at ranges of more than 160 kilometers (100 miles).

Our strength comes from hard power and strong alliances in this new period of uncertainty and with growing Russian presence in the North Atlantic.

In the aftermath of UKraine's takeover of UKraine, the UK and its Nato allies have become increasingly worried about the danger Moscow poses to submarine cables and pipelines. A committee of MPs has also chastised the Ministry of Defense for being over reliant on US defense capabilities and not being able to shield the UK and its overseas territories from military attack. According to a September study, attacks on undersea infrastructure could result in catastrophic harm to Britons' financial and communications infrastructures.