Euro-Atlantic security will be significantly strengthened in the High North and Baltic Sea as the UK and allies from across the region ramp up their military cooperation and agree an enhanced partnership with Ukraine.

  • Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) defence ministers meet with Ukrainian counterpart as they launch new enhanced Ukraine-JEF partnership.
  • JEF meeting in Bodø in Norway focused on strengthening Euro-Atlantic security in the High North and Baltic, protecting national security for all JEF nations
  • Planning underway for future exercises as JEF completes Tarassis – its largest ever military activity showcasing collective strength.

Euro-Atlantic security will be significantly strengthened in the High North and Baltic Sea as the UK and allies from across the region ramp up their military cooperation and agree an enhanced partnership with Ukraine.

The enhanced partnership between the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) and Ukraine is expected to see JEF deliver training for the Ukrainian armed forces, and closer collaboration on protection of critical underwater infrastructure, drones, battlefield medicine, and methods for countering disinformation.

Partnering more with Ukraine will enable JEF nations to learn vital lessons from the battlefield, strengthening all nations’ national security, driving innovation, and boosting lethality.

It comes as Ukrainian Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal joined a meeting of JEF defence ministers for the first time.

Defence ministers from the 10-nation strong JEF, of which the UK is the lead nation, are meeting in Bodø, Norway, to discuss strengthening Euro-Atlantic security in the High North, and Baltic Sea region.

The meeting follows the conclusion last week of Tarassis – the JEF’s largest and most significant military activity in its 11-year history, after two months of intensive operations across the Nordic-Baltic region. The UK’s leadership in JEF, and the ability to rapidly deploy alongside allies if needed, makes Britain secure at home and strong abroad, underpinning this Government’s Plan for Change.

Tarassis, which took place throughout September and October 2025, saw more than 1,700 British personnel from all three services of the Armed Forces exercise alongside JEF allies. The activity spanned across Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and the wider Baltic Sea.

Defence Secretary John Healey MP said:

Our new enhanced partnership with Ukraine will enable JEF nations to step up with further support to put Ukrainians in the best possible position in defending their freedom.

It will also bring lessons directly from the battlefield to improve our own national security, which is the foundation of the Government’s Plan for Change.

Through UK leadership on Ukraine and unity through JEF, we are sending a clear message to Putin – your aggression will be met with our strength.

By stepping up through JEF, the Government is delivering on the Strategic Defence Review, which recommended strengthening our Alliances to bolster European security. The SDR makes clear that JEF is a key part of improving NATO’s deterrence posture in Northern Europe and the High North.

As Russian aggression heightened this year, the JEF activated an advanced UK-led reaction system, known as Nordic Warden, to track potential threats to undersea infrastructure and monitor the Russian shadow fleet, following reported damage to a major undersea cable in the Baltic Sea.

At the meeting in Bodø, ministers are expected to confirm JEF’s next major exercise series, known as the Lion series, which will be closely coordinated with NATO, will kick off next year.