The UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) met in Finland on Thursday (26 March) to discuss the Russia–Ukraine war, North Atlantic security and the coalition’s future.
The military partnership, comprising 10 northern European nations, has played a key role in protecting critical undersea infrastructure since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) is a UK-led military partnership made up of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK.
All members are also part of NATO. Their armed forces train together and respond jointly to threats in the North Atlantic and Baltic Sea regions. The JEF is designed to integrate into operations led by NATO, the UN and other security coalitions.
The JEF was conceived by the UK in the early 2010s as a way for allied nations to respond more quickly than larger organisations during crises.
In 2014, seven countries: the UK, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Norway — signed an initial agreement to establish the partnership.
Finland and Sweden came on board in 2017 and the nine countries formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing JEF a year later in 2018. Iceland, which does not maintain a standing army, joined in 2021.
JEF forces operate primarily in and around member states but can also respond to challenges further afield, including humanitarian crises. Any response would be aligned with NATO’s objectives.
Since its formation, JEF forces have been deployed across the Baltic Sea region and in Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Iceland and Denmark. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the partnership has stepped up deterrence missions, including protecting critical undersea cables in the Baltic Sea.
Lately, JEF nations have worked together to form a shared strategic understanding of the legal basis for countering Russia’s shadow fleet of tankers, which are used to bypass Western sanctions on oil exports.
From September, the military partnership will carry out three years of deployments and patrols in the Arctic and surrounding areas, including Iceland, the Danish Straits and Norway.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed to a near standstill over the weekend, with five commodity vessels transiting Saturday and none on Sun...
Central Asia has become a major focus for Eurasian transport investment, with $71.7 billion committed to 114 projects, according to the Eurasian De...
The European Union is preparing what foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has described as its most far-reaching sanctions package against Russia since...
At least 11 people were killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday, among the deadliest since a June ceasefire. Meanwhile, Qatar denied holding Iranian pilots. It said it had found the remains of one pilot after an airspace violation and had contacted Iran to coordinate a handover.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed to a near standstill over the weekend, with five commodity vessels transiting Saturday and none on Sunday. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Washington must meet Tehran's conditions for shipping to resume.
A wildfire in Croatia driven by strong winds descended on the tourist town of Omis overnight, engulfing houses, forcing about 1,000 people to evacuate to safety and injuring dozens, fire brigade and health officials said on Friday.
U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to make the Strait of Hormuz part of U.S. territory have been mocked by Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, who said the sea passage "cannot be seized by tweet."
Residents of villages in eastern Indonesia hit by a deadly earthquake that killed at least 54 people were awaiting aid on Monday as rescuers prepared to comb through collapsed buildings in search of people trapped beneath the rubble.
Central Asia has become a major focus for Eurasian transport investment, with $71.7 billion committed to 114 projects, according to the Eurasian Development Bank’s 2026 Transport Observatory.
The European Union is preparing what foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has described as its most far-reaching sanctions package against Russia since the war in Ukraine began.
Weeks after thousands of students protested in New Delhi over alleged failures in India’s examination system, the so-called Cockroach movement is taking its campaign to the grassroots, launching audits of state-run schools.
UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany visited Ukraine for the first time since taking office, meeting Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in Kyiv on 15 August to discuss protecting the country’s cultural heritage amid continued Russian attacks.
Residents of villages in eastern Indonesia hit by a deadly earthquake that killed at least 54 people were awaiting aid on Monday as rescuers prepared to comb through collapsed buildings in search of people trapped beneath the rubble.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment