Britain, Norway Sign £10b Maritime Defense Deal

Norway and Britain on Thursday (September 4) signed a £10 billion ($13.51 billion) agreement aimed at strengthening Norway's maritime defence capabilities, marking the Nordic country's largest military investment to date.

Norway, which announced the deal on Sunday (August 31), said it had chosen Britain as its strategic partner for the acquisition of new frigates, following a competitive process that included proposals from Germany, France and the United States.

Norway is NATO's monitor for the vast 2 million square kilometres (772,000 square miles) area of the North Atlantic used by the Russian northern fleet's nuclear submarines.

A key mission for the frigates will be to monitor Russian submarines, whose base is on the Kola Peninsula, an area in the Arctic bordering Norway.

The deal will eventually see a combined fleet of 13 anti-submarine warfare frigates – eight British and at least five Norwegian – operate jointly in northern Europe.

Norway shares a border with Russia and is ramping up defence spending in light of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump's demand that NATO allies must bolster their own military strength.

(Reuters)