UK Forms Multinational Northern Navies to Jointly Defend the Atlantic and Build Hybrid Capabilities
Led by the UK, Nordic, Baltic Sea nations, and the Netherlands will form the "Northern Navies" to enhance Atlantic defense. Based on the "Hybrid Navy" concept integrating unmanned and crewed systems, this initiative aims to counter Russian threats and finalize a formal multilateral declaration by year-end.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 30, 2026 at 22:56
- 🔍 Collected: April 30, 2026 at 23:02 (5 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 2, 2026 at 06:35 (31h 33m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Chen Yun-yu, London, 30th) As Russia continues to encroach upon North Atlantic waters with increasing threats, under the leadership of the United Kingdom, Nordic, Baltic Sea nations, the Netherlands, and other countries will jointly establish the "Northern Navies." This force will highly integrate unmanned and autonomous systems in operational planning and exercises, with Canada also expected to join.
Admiral Gwyn Jenkins, the UK's First Sea Lord (the highest-ranking military leader of the Royal Navy), stated that this is equivalent to creating an "allied fleet family," a sight "not seen in decades."
He revealed that last week, he invited the highest-ranking naval leaders from relevant countries to a meeting for discussion. All parties have signed a letter of intent and will further confirm planning and implementation details, aiming to sign a formal multilateral declaration by the end of this year.
Jenkins emphasized, "Everyone knows we have no time to waste." The "Northern Navies" plans to adopt UK operational doctrines, standard norms, and training systems, and its command headquarters will also be located in the UK.
Jenkins made these remarks on the 29th during a speech at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a UK think tank headquartered in London. Jenkins, who comes from the Royal Marines, has held important positions in successive UK governments, serving as the Prime Minister's military advisor and Deputy National Security Advisor. From August 2024, he will serve as the Strategic Advisor to the Secretary of State for Defence, and in May last year, he was appointed as the first First Sea Lord from the Royal Marines in UK history.
The "Northern Navies" concept proposed by Jenkins is based on the existing Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF). The JEF was established in 2014, also led by the UK, with a total of 10 member states, including Nordic and Baltic Sea nations such as Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, and Lithuania, as well as the Netherlands.
After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Finland and Sweden, originally JEF members, successively joined NATO starting in 2023. Consequently, all JEF member states now overlap with the NATO system.
The JEF serves to complement NATO, but its decision-making and action mechanisms are more flexible than NATO's, mainly because the JEF does not require "consensus." Under the JEF framework, two member states can act jointly without going through the layered procedures of a "collective action" similar to NATO.
Considering that before the outbreak of a major conflict, signs may not be clear and the situation may be ambiguous, the flexibility and mobility provided by the JEF help strengthen allied defense in the North Atlantic and the High North (including the Arctic Circle), improve the speed and efficiency of responding to threats, and help secure battlefield dominance preemptively.
Jenkins stated that the "Northern Navies" will train, exercise, and prepare for war together. Multinational naval forces will be highly integrated into a single system, operating common systems and platforms, sharing digital networks, logistics and maintenance transport systems, and military reserves. Equipment, personnel, ammunition, and components can be mutually interchangeable and mixed among member states, achieving a high degree of "interchangeability," and fully establishing "1+1 is greater than 2" immediate and practical combat capabilities in sea, air, and amphibious operations.
In December last year, the UK and Norway signed an agreement for Norway to purchase several Type 26 anti-submarine frigates from the UK. The two countries will form a joint fleet, sharing advanced technology, equipment, and maintenance facilities, and personnel will train together. In addition to Norway, Canada has also purchased Type 26 anti-submarine frigates from the UK.
Jenkins expressed anticipation for other "Northern Navies" countries to follow suit in adopting UK-designed warships. Canada has already expressed interest in joining the JEF. This means the future scope of the "Northern Navies" initiative is expected to extend to the other side of the North Atlantic.
Notably, the core of the "Northern Navies"' capability building will be the "Hybrid Navy" concept, which Jenkins has been actively promoting since taking office last year.
The "Hybrid Navy" refers to the integration of unmanned, autonomous, and directly human-operated systems in sea (including surface and underwater), air, and amphibious operations. It also involves making good use of traditional and advanced weapons and platforms, emphasizing rapid deployment and implementation at all stages from readiness to actual combat, as well as solutions that can be easily expanded or upgraded as needs evolve.
Jenkins emphasized that his intention is by no means to completely replace existing systems and capabilities, but rather to enhance the Royal Navy's combat scale, survivability, and lethality through the "hybrid" concept, with progress needing to keep pace with rapidly evolving security threats.
Jenkins mentioned that the evolution of modern warfare, like the advancement of technology, is happening at a speed that might have been unimaginable just a few years ago. Taking the war in Ukraine as an example, Ukraine has to update and upgrade its drones "every day" to match the evolving speed of Russia's anti-drone capabilities. However, the evolution of warfare types and tools is likely only to accelerate, not slow down, meaning innovation, adaptability, and agile thinking and action capabilities will be the key to victory in 21st-century conflicts.
At the same time, the Royal Navy must be able to achieve greater effects at lower costs. Jenkins pointed out that in the real world, no operational scenario provides armed forces with unlimited, inexhaustible resources.
Jenkins revealed that the Royal Navy conducted its first full-scale wargame on the "Hybrid Navy" at the end of March. The results showed that by implementing the "Hybrid Navy" concept, the Royal Navy's combat capabilities and scale, as well as commanders' tactical options and decision-making flexibility, were significantly enhanced.
Jenkins noted that one indicator is that the number of missiles flexibly available to the navy and corresponding combat power "tripled," reaching the strength required to win operations in the North Atlantic.
Jenkins mentioned that his goal is to achieve unmanned escort vessels for Royal Navy warships within the next two years and to activate jet-powered drones on aircraft carriers next year.
It is worth noting that despite Jenkins and other UK military chiefs often emphasizing Russia as the primary security threat and the Euro-Atlantic as the core area of UK military defense, the UK remains highly concerned about the Indo-Pacific situation. This is evidenced by the AUKUS security partnership (Australia, UK, US), the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) with Japan and Italy, and coordinated carrier strike groups with France and Italy rotating deployments in the Indo-Pacific region.
(Central News Agency reporter Chen Yun-yu, London, 30th) As Russia continues to encroach upon North Atlantic waters with increasing threats, under the leadership of the United Kingdom, Nordic, Baltic Sea nations, the Netherlands, and other countries will jointly establish the "Northern Navies." This force will highly integrate unmanned and autonomous systems in operational planning and exercises, with Canada also expected to join.
Admiral Gwyn Jenkins, the UK's First Sea Lord (the highest-ranking military leader of the Royal Navy), stated that this is equivalent to creating an "allied fleet family," a sight "not seen in decades."
He revealed that last week, he invited the highest-ranking naval leaders from relevant countries to a meeting for discussion. All parties have signed a letter of intent and will further confirm planning and implementation details, aiming to sign a formal multilateral declaration by the end of this year.
Jenkins emphasized, "Everyone knows we have no time to waste." The "Northern Navies" plans to adopt UK operational doctrines, standard norms, and training systems, and its command headquarters will also be located in the UK.
Jenkins made these remarks on the 29th during a speech at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a UK think tank headquartered in London. Jenkins, who comes from the Royal Marines, has held important positions in successive UK governments, serving as the Prime Minister's military advisor and Deputy National Security Advisor. From August 2024, he will serve as the Strategic Advisor to the Secretary of State for Defence, and in May last year, he was appointed as the first First Sea Lord from the Royal Marines in UK history.
The "Northern Navies" concept proposed by Jenkins is based on the existing Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF). The JEF was established in 2014, also led by the UK, with a total of 10 member states, including Nordic and Baltic Sea nations such as Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, and Lithuania, as well as the Netherlands.
After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Finland and Sweden, originally JEF members, successively joined NATO starting in 2023. Consequently, all JEF member states now overlap with the NATO system.
The JEF serves to complement NATO, but its decision-making and action mechanisms are more flexible than NATO's, mainly because the JEF does not require "consensus." Under the JEF framework, two member states can act jointly without going through the layered procedures of a "collective action" similar to NATO.
Considering that before the outbreak of a major conflict, signs may not be clear and the situation may be ambiguous, the flexibility and mobility provided by the JEF help strengthen allied defense in the North Atlantic and the High North (including the Arctic Circle), improve the speed and efficiency of responding to threats, and help secure battlefield dominance preemptively.
Jenkins stated that the "Northern Navies" will train, exercise, and prepare for war together. Multinational naval forces will be highly integrated into a single system, operating common systems and platforms, sharing digital networks, logistics and maintenance transport systems, and military reserves. Equipment, personnel, ammunition, and components can be mutually interchangeable and mixed among member states, achieving a high degree of "interchangeability," and fully establishing "1+1 is greater than 2" immediate and practical combat capabilities in sea, air, and amphibious operations.
In December last year, the UK and Norway signed an agreement for Norway to purchase several Type 26 anti-submarine frigates from the UK. The two countries will form a joint fleet, sharing advanced technology, equipment, and maintenance facilities, and personnel will train together. In addition to Norway, Canada has also purchased Type 26 anti-submarine frigates from the UK.
Jenkins expressed anticipation for other "Northern Navies" countries to follow suit in adopting UK-designed warships. Canada has already expressed interest in joining the JEF. This means the future scope of the "Northern Navies" initiative is expected to extend to the other side of the North Atlantic.
Notably, the core of the "Northern Navies"' capability building will be the "Hybrid Navy" concept, which Jenkins has been actively promoting since taking office last year.
The "Hybrid Navy" refers to the integration of unmanned, autonomous, and directly human-operated systems in sea (including surface and underwater), air, and amphibious operations. It also involves making good use of traditional and advanced weapons and platforms, emphasizing rapid deployment and implementation at all stages from readiness to actual combat, as well as solutions that can be easily expanded or upgraded as needs evolve.
Jenkins emphasized that his intention is by no means to completely replace existing systems and capabilities, but rather to enhance the Royal Navy's combat scale, survivability, and lethality through the "hybrid" concept, with progress needing to keep pace with rapidly evolving security threats.
Jenkins mentioned that the evolution of modern warfare, like the advancement of technology, is happening at a speed that might have been unimaginable just a few years ago. Taking the war in Ukraine as an example, Ukraine has to update and upgrade its drones "every day" to match the evolving speed of Russia's anti-drone capabilities. However, the evolution of warfare types and tools is likely only to accelerate, not slow down, meaning innovation, adaptability, and agile thinking and action capabilities will be the key to victory in 21st-century conflicts.
At the same time, the Royal Navy must be able to achieve greater effects at lower costs. Jenkins pointed out that in the real world, no operational scenario provides armed forces with unlimited, inexhaustible resources.
Jenkins revealed that the Royal Navy conducted its first full-scale wargame on the "Hybrid Navy" at the end of March. The results showed that by implementing the "Hybrid Navy" concept, the Royal Navy's combat capabilities and scale, as well as commanders' tactical options and decision-making flexibility, were significantly enhanced.
Jenkins noted that one indicator is that the number of missiles flexibly available to the navy and corresponding combat power "tripled," reaching the strength required to win operations in the North Atlantic.
Jenkins mentioned that his goal is to achieve unmanned escort vessels for Royal Navy warships within the next two years and to activate jet-powered drones on aircraft carriers next year.
It is worth noting that despite Jenkins and other UK military chiefs often emphasizing Russia as the primary security threat and the Euro-Atlantic as the core area of UK military defense, the UK remains highly concerned about the Indo-Pacific situation. This is evidenced by the AUKUS security partnership (Australia, UK, US), the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) with Japan and Italy, and coordinated carrier strike groups with France and Italy rotating deployments in the Indo-Pacific region.