LONDON: A defense pact announced by Britain and Norway on Thursday will see their navies jointly operate a warship fleet to “hunt Russian submarines” in the North Atlantic, the UK government said.
The agreement aims to protect critical undersea infrastructure, such as cables, that Western officials say are increasingly under threat from Moscow.
It comes as Britain’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) reports that sightings of Russian vessels in UK waters have increased 30 percent in the past two years.
Norway announced in September the purchase of at least five Type-26 frigates from Britain for £10 billion ($13 billion).
The latest announcement coincides with a visit by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store to a Royal Air Force base in northern Scotland.
Under the pact, the two countries will operate a fleet of 13 British-built frigates on an “interchangeable” basis.
They will monitor Russian naval activity in the waters between Greenland, Iceland and the UK, “defending critical infrastructure such as underwater cables and pipelines, which carry vital communications, electricity and gas,” the MoD said in a statement.
“At this time of profound global instability, as more Russian ships are being detected in our waters, we must work with international partners to protect our national security,” said Starmer.
Last month, UK Defense Minister John Healey warned Russia after saying that its military ship Yantar had entered British waters for the second time this year.
He said that it had directed lasers at British air force pilots in a “deeply dangerous” move.
Britain and NATO allies have expressed growing concern about the risk Moscow poses to offshore infrastructure following the suspected sabotage in recent months of several undersea telecom and power cables.
Experts and politicians have accused Moscow of orchestrating a hybrid war against Western countries, most of which support Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country in 2022.
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UK, Norway to jointly hunt Russian submarines under new pact
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UK, Norway to jointly hunt Russian submarines under new pact
- Pact aims to protect critical undersea infrastructure, such as cables, that Western officials say are increasingly under threat from Moscow
- Russia is thought to be orchestrating a hybrid war against Western countries, most of which support Ukraine in resisting Russian invasion
UK to deploy aircraft carrier group to Arctic this year: PM
- The HMS Prince of Wales is the Royal Navy’s largest warship
MUNICH, Germany: The UK will deploy its aircraft carrier group to the North Atlantic this year in a “powerful show of force” against Russian threats in the Arctic, British officials said Saturday.
“I can announce today that the UK will deploy our carrier strike group to the North Atlantic and the High North this year, led by HMS Prince of Wales, operating alongside the US, Canada and other NATO allies in a powerful show of our commitment to Euro-Atlantic security,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the Munich security conference.
The group will include Royal Navy warships, F-35 jets and helicopters in what has been dubbed “Operation Firecrest,” the ministry of defense said in a statement.
It will be a “powerful show of force … to deter Russian aggression and protect vital undersea infrastructure.”
The HMS Prince of Wales is the Royal Navy’s largest warship and US aircraft are also expected to operate from its deck.
The operation will involve thousands of personnel from all three services of the Armed Forces, the MoD statement added.
“The deployment will include activity under NATO’s Arctic Sentry mission, launched this week, strengthening the Alliance’s security in a region where melting sea ice is opening new routes and increasing threat from hostile state activity,” the ministry said.
France has also announced that it will deploy its aircraft carrier group in the region in 2026.
Starmer told the Munich conference that Britain must be “ready to fight.”
Leaders must not dither as “Russia has proved its appetite for aggression,” he said.
“The road ahead is straight and it is clear. We must build our hard power, because that is the currency of the age,” he added.
“We must be able to deter aggression, and, yes, if necessary, we must be ready to fight.”
The defense ministry said the deployment would reinforce “NATO’s deterrence at a time of rising Russian threats in the region.”
It added that “over the past two years, there has been a 30 percent increase in Russian navy vessels threatening UK waters.”
US President Donald Trump has also unnerved European countries by saying Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory in the Arctic, should come under US control.
Trump said last month however that an understanding had been reached with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte that would give the United States greater influence in the mineral-rich and strategically placed territory.
“I can announce today that the UK will deploy our carrier strike group to the North Atlantic and the High North this year, led by HMS Prince of Wales, operating alongside the US, Canada and other NATO allies in a powerful show of our commitment to Euro-Atlantic security,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the Munich security conference.
The group will include Royal Navy warships, F-35 jets and helicopters in what has been dubbed “Operation Firecrest,” the ministry of defense said in a statement.
It will be a “powerful show of force … to deter Russian aggression and protect vital undersea infrastructure.”
The HMS Prince of Wales is the Royal Navy’s largest warship and US aircraft are also expected to operate from its deck.
The operation will involve thousands of personnel from all three services of the Armed Forces, the MoD statement added.
“The deployment will include activity under NATO’s Arctic Sentry mission, launched this week, strengthening the Alliance’s security in a region where melting sea ice is opening new routes and increasing threat from hostile state activity,” the ministry said.
France has also announced that it will deploy its aircraft carrier group in the region in 2026.
Starmer told the Munich conference that Britain must be “ready to fight.”
Leaders must not dither as “Russia has proved its appetite for aggression,” he said.
“The road ahead is straight and it is clear. We must build our hard power, because that is the currency of the age,” he added.
“We must be able to deter aggression, and, yes, if necessary, we must be ready to fight.”
The defense ministry said the deployment would reinforce “NATO’s deterrence at a time of rising Russian threats in the region.”
It added that “over the past two years, there has been a 30 percent increase in Russian navy vessels threatening UK waters.”
US President Donald Trump has also unnerved European countries by saying Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory in the Arctic, should come under US control.
Trump said last month however that an understanding had been reached with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte that would give the United States greater influence in the mineral-rich and strategically placed territory.
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