The ten Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) nations are set to sign an agreement on closer naval cooperation in November. The signing will take place in Oslo aboard a British aircraft carrier, UK First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins told Ruotuväki, the Finnish Defence Forces' magazine.
– We are going to train more together, operate more together and our doctrine is going to be better aligned, Jenkins said aboard the Finnish minelayer Hämeenmaa.
The signing follows a July agreement by all ten nations on a new maritime framework previously reported by NDS. According to the Royal Navy, it covers doctrine, training, planning, sustainment and capability development.
Jenkins said the nations will also work together on bringing in uncrewed systems.
– I think the big lesson that I draw from the Black Sea and from the Straits of Hormuz now is that conventional warships, however capable they are, have to be augmented with uncrewed systems if you want them to be capable, credible and survivable, Jenkins said.
The UK-led JEF was founded in 2014. Its other members are Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.