Poland to join North Atlantic maritime security initiative

Poland has joined a European-Canadian maritime security initiative covering the North Atlantic, Arctic and Baltic Sea, becoming its 13th member after announcing the move at the Warsaw Security Forum. The initiative, proposed by Norway and launched in July at the NATO summit, commits members to enhanced training, exercises and situational awareness coordinated with the United States.

Daniel Trangeledinternational13 Oct 2026Updated 1 hr agoOriginal Source

Poland will join a European and Canadian initiative on maritime security in the North Atlantic, the Arctic and the Baltic Sea. Norway’s Defence Minister Tore O. Sandvik and Poland’s Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced the move after a bilateral meeting at the Warsaw Security Forum, the Norwegian Ministry of Defence said on 13 October.

– European countries and Canada are stepping up and taking greater responsibility for the security of Allied territory, says Sandvik.

Eleven European countries and Canada launched the initiative in July at the NATO summit in Ankara, as previously reported by NDS. According to the Norwegian government, Norway proposed it. Poland becomes the 13th participant.

In their joint statement from July, the founding members committed to more training, exercises and operations across the full spectrum of maritime operations. They also pledged to strengthen maritime command and control. They will prioritise investment in situational awareness across all domains. The work is coordinated with the United States.

The participants are now Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

Common questions about the article

Questions and answers generated automatically from the article content.

01What is the North Atlantic maritime security initiative that Poland is joining?

It is a European and Canadian initiative on maritime security covering the North Atlantic, the Arctic and the Baltic Sea. Founding members committed in July to more training, exercises, operations and strengthened maritime command and control, with work coordinated with the United States. Last fact-checked: 2026-10-13.

02How many countries now participate in the maritime initiative after Poland joined?

03Why did Norway and Poland announce Poland's participation in the initiative?