The JEF (Joint Expeditionary Force) partnership has been strengthened ~ nations agree Maritime Proposition with renewed emphasis on collaboration.
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Press Release, Whale Island, 09 July 2026: Joint Expeditionary Force partnerships strengthened as all ten nations agree Maritime Proposition. The agreement marks a significant step forward in the Northern Navies partnership and underscores a shared commitment among JEF partners to move beyond periodic activity towards a more integrated maritime enterprise enabling forces to combine rapidly, operate seamlessly and respond decisively and immediately to emerging threats.
At the heart of the proposition is a renewed emphasis on collaboration. By aligning doctrine, training, planning, sustainment and capability development, JEF nations will operate more closely than ever before, building trust, interoperability to act and fight together and ultimately the ability to substitute, swap, or mix equipment, parts, ammunition, or personnel across participating navies. The initiative reflects a common recognition that the security environment is evolving rapidly, with increasing competition in the maritime domain driven by undersea threats, seabed infrastructure risks and advancing technologies. In response, JEF nations – Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, UK – have committed to acting together leveraging their shared values, geographic focus and political alignment to deliver a more persistent and agile maritime presence.
First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, said: “The proposal that all ten JEF nations have agreed represents a historic change. This is about shifting from periodic cooperation to a truly integrated approach where our forces can combine at pace and fight immediately together when required to do so.
“By strengthening our frameworks and partnership, we are building a more credible maritime force – one that enhances our deterrence along our open sea border with Russia, supports NATO and provides real options to political leaders in times of crisis and conflict.
“We all agreed that the stronger JEF maritime partnership we are building will play a vital role as NATO’s vanguard. We are creating a forward, high-readiness force capable of responding rapidly in the early stages of escalation and seamlessly transitioning into NATO command if required.”
This Maritime Proposition positions the UK, as framework nation, at the centre of a shared enterprise that brings together people, platforms, data and partnerships across the alliance. This collective approach is designed to deliver persistent effect in competition while enabling rapid scale-up during crisis or conflict.
Through this strengthened collaboration, JEF nations will:
- Enhance interoperability through shared standards and operating concepts
- Align training and assurance to deliver a consistently high level of readiness
- Improve operational planning and the ability to deploy combined forces at speed
- Develop integrated sustainment arrangements across national boundaries
- Deliver compatible capabilities through a shared development approach
Together, these measures will ensure that JEF maritime forces can operate persistently, generate and sustain greater combat power and respond coherently to threats across the region.
The signing of the proposition by all ten nations signals a clear and unified intent: to deepen relationships, remove barriers to integration, and deliver a collective maritime force capable of meeting the rapidly growing and evolving threats we face.
As the Royal Navy continues to lead this effort, the strengthened JEF partnership demonstrates the enduring value of like-minded nations working together ensuring a stronger Europe and a more capable NATO alliance.
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