Northern Europe to Form Naval Alliance to Deter Russia

Representatives from ten Northern European countries that are part of the Joint Expeditionary Force will sign a naval partnership agreement.

This was reported to the Financial Times by the Air Chief Marshal and Chief of the Defense Staff, Richard Knighton.

The goal of the agreement is to strengthen the deterrence against Russian military aggression in the region.

In an interview with the FT, Knighton emphasized that London needs to “catch up with its European allies,” particularly those countries that are geographically closer to Russia and feel the threat from it more acutely, as well as the consequences of a full-scale war against Ukraine.

According to the British military leader, Russia is resorting to various forms of aggression against European states. These include targeted killings, sabotage, and cyberattacks.

Knighton emphasized that these are not hypothetical threats, but actual actions by the Russian state, evidence of which has been documented in Europe and, to some extent, in the United Kingdom.

Containing the Russian Navy

The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) comprises the United Kingdom, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.

The partnership agreement is expected to be signed aboard the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales.

The ceremony will take place on the eve of the Atlantic Future Forum conference, which will also be held aboard this warship.

According to Knighton, the new agreements are intended to bring JEF cooperation to a practical level. Whereas cooperation was previously based primarily on memoranda of understanding, information sharing, and consultations, the allies now plan to coordinate their naval forces and joint operations more actively.

One of the partnership’s key objectives will be to deter Russian submarines.

In particular, the allies aim to prevent them from attacking ships or posing a threat to shipping in the event of war.

The strengthening of European countries’ military presence in Northern Europe is also linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s calls for allies to take on greater responsibility for their own defense.

In September, Canada also submitted an application to join the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) coalition, led by the United Kingdom.

Source: Militaryni