The United Kingdom and Norway have signed a groundbreaking defense agreement that will allow their naval forces to operate side by side in the North Atlantic, deepening military cooperation amid rising concerns over undersea security.

Under the deal—described by Norwegian officials as the most comprehensive defense agreement between the two countries in modern times—the two navies will share maintenance facilities, technology, and equipment. The partnership is designed to create fully interchangeable maritime forces capable of rapid deployment wherever required, the British Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Thursday.

The agreement was signed at 10 Downing Street on December 4 by UK Defence Secretary John Healey and Norwegian Defence Minister Tore O. Sandvik. The cooperation framework includes plans for new frigate collaboration, joint patrols using P-8 Poseidon maritime aircraft, and more frequent elite anti-sabotage training to counter sub-surface threats.

A central focus of the pact is protecting undersea infrastructure—including oil and gas pipelines and critical data cables—across the North Atlantic and the High North region. Both London and Oslo have raised alarms about potential threats to energy and communication lines as geopolitical tensions intensify.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre underscored the stakes following a meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London. “The British presence in the High North plays a crucial role in safeguarding Norwegian and European security,” he said.

After the meeting, the two prime ministers traveled to the Royal Air Force base at Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland. The base hosts the UK’s fleet of P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, which regularly operate over the North Sea and farther north toward the Norwegian and Barents Seas.

The agreement marks the latest step in a year of increasingly close cooperation between the two NATO allies. In February, Healey and Sandvik toured the Arctic border with Russia's Kola Peninsula by snowmobile—an area considered one of Moscow’s most strategic military zones. During the visit, the ministers announced plans for a comprehensive bilateral arrangement aimed at countering Russian undersea threats, setting the groundwork for the new pact.

With the formal signing now complete, both governments say the enhanced partnership will play a key role in strengthening NATO’s northern defenses and securing vital undersea networks at a time of mounting global uncertainty. (ILKHA)