Norway strengthens its cooperation with the UK

On 31 August, the Norwegian government announced the choice of Britain as a strategical partner in the process of building at least 5 fresh rocket frigates to combat submarines. kind 26 units were adopted as a platform – large and very modern, optimised to combat submarines. Norwegian ships are to match the specifications of the British equivalent. They will be equipped with 3 eight-chamber VLS vertical launchers Mk 41 and 24 single launchers for CAMM household air defence missiles.

Germany, France and the USA besides participated in the proceedings. The full value of the future contract is expected to be £10 billion. This will be the most costly arms program in the past of the country. The first frigate is scheduled for 2030. Oslo and London are about to sign a fresh defence cooperation agreement (negotiated in February of this year), after which the negotiations of the applicable contract with BAE Systems and a number of agreements between the arms industries will begin.

Focused on strengthening the capacity to operate in the Far North (Barents Sea) and protecting maritime communication lines and critical infrastructure (Norwegian Sea and North Sea, North Atlantic) the modernisation programme of the Norwegian Navy is the most crucial part of the multi-annual military improvement plan for the period 2025–2036 adopted in June 2024. Norway: more investment in defence and support of Ukraine). The British direction in the frigate program fits into the wider military cooperation of both states, focusing mainly on the maritime domain and counteracting the North Fleet FR. Another large order in the British shipbuilding manufacture is gradually restoring its lost competitiveness to France and Italy in the last 20 years.

Comment

• The United Kingdom is 1 of the most crucial partners of Norway in military cooperation, alongside the United States, Sweden, Finland and Germany. In December 2024, Prime Ministers Jonas Gahr Støre and Keir Starmer signed a declaration of strategical partnership focusing on safety cooperation. Both countries plan to strengthen cooperation in NATO and within the JEF Joint Expeditionary Force under the aegis of London (including the another Nordic and Baltic States and the Netherlands), with peculiar emphasis on the northern flank, and on the capacity to combat hybrid threats and defend the undersea critical infrastructure of the North Sea. So far Norway and the United Kingdom have focused on regular military exercises in the first of these countries (marine infantry, navy, air force) and the fight against Russian submarines (patrols of P-8 aircraft). Norway sends its frigates to British aircraft carrier strike groups (now on Indo-Pacific) which besides practiced operating on the northern flank.
• The fast selection of a strategical partner for a fresh frigate is the consequence of accelerated investment Oslo in defence and deterrence. From 2022 to 2025, the defence spending there doubled. Norway adopted an ambitious and broad plan to modernise the Navy and replace all ships. The transformation of maritime forces is simply a precedence of the ongoing cycle of planning to make the state's defence possible (alongside the expansion of land troops). Currently, they usage 4 Fridtjof Nansen frigates (the 5th sank in collision with a civilian vessel in 2018), and in place of 23 corvets, patrol vessels, mine destroyers and coastguard boats, it is planned to get a full of 28 fresh units with a common hull (but different equipment, adapted to tasks). In addition, up to 4 German submarines already contracted U212CD (see besides Germany–Norway: a fresh quality of naval cooperation?) 2 more are to be ordered to replace all six Ula units used.
• Since the mediate of the next decade, kind 26 frigates will become the largest after the French-Italian FREMM units a household of ships of this class in equipping NATO states. Canada will get as many as 15 of them, and the users too Norway will include the United Kingdom (eight units) and Australia (six). In addition, in the autumn of this year, Denmark is to announce the selection of its strategical partner in the process of building at least 3 fresh frigates. After Oslo's decision, the chances of Britain besides increase in this process. By participating in this programme, Norway will besides most likely join the CAMM rocket family, which besides includes Poland (besides the UK, Italy and Sweden). The plan to deliver the first frigate in 2030 means that Britain will gotta retreat 1 of the ships already built for itself. This will consequence in a hold in the British replacing the already utilized and obsolete kind 23 units.