Sweden participates in a new initiative for maritime defense cooperation

The declaration of intent is called the Northern Navies Initiative, i.e. the Initiative for the Northern Fleets. It was signed by the ten countries within the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) - including Sweden - during the defense conference currently underway in Oslo aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales.

At Tuesday's meeting, Luke Pollard, Britain's defense procurement minister, said Russian activity around the British Isles had increased by 41 percent in the first nine months of the year. By increasing cooperation around drones and warships, the allied countries can increase defense capacity and strengthen security in northern Europe, the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea.

- The model we want is one where British autonomous drones should be able to cooperate with a British, Danish or Norwegian warship and that control of the drone systems should be handed over to a warship from an allied country, said Luke Pollard according to The Guardian.

The JEF cooperation is an independent military cooperation that complements NATO. Pollard jokingly described the alliance as one between "beer-drinking nations".

The new declaration of intent is simultaneously highlighted as "historic" in a press release from the British Navy. The initiative sends a "powerful signal of unity in response to a changing threat picture", it says.

According to The Guardian, the development is taking place at the same time as there is a debate in the UK about the renewal of the fleet. A rebuilding program is underway. At the same time, it has been warned that the number of frigates may decrease in the next few years, from 12 in 2021 to 3 in 2030.

Sweden's Navy Commander Johan Norlén says that NATO cooperation remains the "absolutely most important component" of the collective defense, but that JEF supports NATO's goals. The new letter of intent is very much about standardization and collaborations in areas such as training, operational planning and doctrine, he says.

The initiative is still in its early stages. Now the work within the countries begins to concretize the plans.

"Sweden is prepared to take responsibility in this area, in the same way that we already take a great deal of responsibility within NATO. Of course, I have high hopes that together with other nations we can contribute to increased security in a troubled environment. Sweden is part of the solution and cannot just look at other nations, in exactly the same way as alliance membership," he writes in an email to DN.