UK and Netherlands Strengthen Maritime Ties with Enhanced Partnership Announced for 7 July 2026

The United Kingdom and the Kingdom of the Netherlands have reaffirmed the resilience of their long-standing defence partnership, highlighting their mutual dedication to the security of the Euro-Atlantic region. This partnership is anchored in Europe’s oldest integrated military unit, the UK-Netherlands Joint Amphibious Force, which has been operational for 53 years. Grounded in a shared commitment to NATO, international law, and European security, this collaboration is pivotal to both nations’ strategies concerning deterrence, defence, and crisis management.

Strengthening Defence Cooperation

In an increasingly competitive strategic landscape, both the UK and the Netherlands are focused on enhancing their defence collaboration to bolster Europe’s role in collective security. This includes strengthening the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) and reinforcing NATO’s readiness and cohesion, ultimately supporting a more robust Europe within a stronger NATO framework. The 2025 UK/EU Security and Defence Partnership is instrumental in achieving these objectives. Their improved maritime collaboration aims to create a more integrated and modern amphibious force, thereby enhancing NATO’s capacity to address evolving conventional, hybrid, and maritime threats, thus improving their collective deterrence and defence posture. Both nations acknowledge that there exists a unique opportunity to elevate their defence partnership around four fundamental pillars.

Aligning Strategic Interests

This reinforced bilateral agenda is part of a broader strategic commitment. Both nations remain closely aligned in their support for Ukraine, which includes military assistance, training initiatives, and multinational cooperation. Continued collaboration is essential in sustaining support for Ukraine and reinforcing Europe’s long-term dedication to its sovereignty and security.

The closer alignment between the UK and the Netherlands enhances the credibility of the JEF, consolidating their shared interests and threat perceptions as well as their commitment to mutual aid as articulated in Article 3 of the North Atlantic Treaty. The JEF enables shared capabilities to be accessible to a coalition of like-minded Northern European nations, thereby strengthening NATO’s regional deterrence and fostering a more unified Europe within a robust NATO.

Moreover, both nations reaffirm the significance of ongoing coordination on maritime security to safeguard freedom of navigation, contribute to regional stability, and demonstrate the Alliance’s resolve in the face of emerging threats. Through NATO and the JEF, the UK and the Netherlands will persist in their collaborative efforts to enhance deterrence, accelerate adaptation, and ensure that the Alliance remains united, capable, and prepared.

Collaborative Amphibious Transport Ship Initiative

The UK and the Netherlands have reached a consensus regarding the Amphibious Transport Ship (ATS) programme, which serves as a flagship bilateral initiative and a foundation for broader defence industrial collaboration, particularly concerning future maritime capabilities.

The ATS represents a practical and ambitious means of fortifying their already robust maritime partnership and signifies a substantial shift towards deeper defence integration. Both nations agree that the ATS provides a credible solution to shared amphibious challenges, with capability requirements already synchronised. This common platform will help preserve and modernise amphibious and littoral lift capabilities while enhancing interchangeability and readiness, thereby contributing to the joint UK-Netherlands Specialised Advanced Amphibious Force within NATO.

Furthermore, both nations underscore the broader strategic and industrial significance of this enhanced maritime agenda. A joint amphibious platform is expected not only to bolster military capability and interoperability but also to support respective defence industries, thus fostering economic growth and sustaining sovereign and allied shipbuilding capabilities. This partnership aims to build long-term industrial resilience and secure highly skilled jobs within both countries.

Advancing the Amphibious Task Force

The UK-Netherlands Amphibious Task Force, tasked with shaping the littoral operating environment prior to the arrival of larger NATO forces, represents NATO’s high-readiness Advance Force.

As both nations develop their joint amphibious capabilities further, they commit to enhancing their historical partnership and will continuously evaluate how this unique collaboration can be deepened to meet operational demands. They are already collaborating on closely linked force design programmes, which will reinforce force integration, readiness, and ongoing capability development, ensuring that both the UK and the Netherlands can operate seamlessly across a spectrum of operations, including in support of NATO’s regional planning and the evolving maritime ambitions of the JEF.

They plan to build upon their strong cooperation within JEF Navies and explore an enhanced bilateral operational relationship. This includes deeper collaboration across defence lines of development, embracing a more integrated and interchangeable hybrid navy approach, incorporating a mix of crewed, uncrewed, and autonomous systems, improved command-and-control arrangements, and future maritime air defence cooperation, thus strengthening both collective capability and commercial value.

Enhancing Regional Security and National Resilience

The Northern European region, the Arctic, and the High North have emerged as frontline areas of strategic competition. An integrated UK-Netherlands maritime force is crucial for ensuring credible regional security across the JEF operational area, NATO’s Regional Plan North West, within the Amphibious Task Force, and the Operational Reserve, effectively deterring both conventional and hybrid malign activities.

Through the JEF, the UK and the Netherlands assure regional defence plans for the Baltic, High North, and Arctic. A closer maritime relationship will provide scalable deterrence and a persistent presence in critical maritime and littoral zones. This integration is vital for protecting essential undersea infrastructure and seabed systems that underpin both economic security and military effectiveness, thereby enhancing collective European security while supporting NATO’s operations.

Strengthened cooperation through shared platforms and aligned capability development ensures that both nations are better equipped to anticipate, deter, and respond to threats, thereby enhancing their collective resilience. Through the UK/EU Security and Defence Partnership, both countries continue to enhance European coordination to counter shadow fleet vessels.

Signed for the Kingdom of the Netherlands:
Rob Jetten, Prime Minister
Signed for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland:
Keir Starmer, Prime Minister