Norwegian Ambassador visits Standing Joint Force Headquarters

The Norwegian Ambassador, His Excellency Wegger Chr. Strømmen, met with the Standing Joint Force Commander, Major General Rupert Jones, CBE, during a visit to Northwood Headquarters on 27 May 2021.

They discussed Norway’s role in the Joint Expeditionary Force (‘the JEF’), an agile coalition that brings together a potent range of military and inter-governmental capabilities from the United Kingdom and nine partners across northern Europe.

Created by like-minded nations to counter the growing European and global tension that threatens our security and prosperity, the JEF is a clear demonstration of our combined resolve to deter our adversaries, contribute to international security and ensure regional stability.

Ambassador Strømmen said

It was a great pleasure to meet Major General Rupert Jones today. I am very impressed with his leadership and his team. The JEF is a very important and timely multinational instrument for dealing with a wide spectrum of challenges in all domains. It is a force of good. It is force of friends. It is a force of values. It complements NATO’s mission and bilateral arrangements perfectly.

Ambassador Strømmen continued

I am delighted to see how like-minded nations work so closely together and how we develop interoperability in both the physical and conceptual dimensions. With today’s security and defence landscape, including developments in Northern Europe, we need the JEF as part of our toolbox for dealing with emerging challenges. Norway is proud to be part of the JEF and will continue to work closely with the UK and other partners to ensure that it is fit-for-purpose.

Major General Jones said

Norway is a key member of the JEF with invaluable understanding of the challenges of operating in the High North and of the Nordic region and its peoples. The UK and Norway are close friends and enjoy a long history of operating and training side by side. The JEF plays a vital role in our shared security in the region, in concert with the NATO alliance. It is great to see that we are both committed to the future of the JEF and its continued development.

Alongside the UK, operating as the framework nation, the JEF partner nations are Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, with Iceland as the newest member who joined the JEF on 20 April 2021.