The United Kingdom has agreed to create a multinational maritime force with nine European partners under the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) — a grouping that includes the Netherlands, all five Nordic nations, and the three Baltic states — to counter growing Russian aggression in northern waters. Announced by the head of the Royal Navy, Admiral Sir Gwyn Jenkins, the force will complement NATO structures, train together, and be ready to fight "immediately if required," with command based at the UK's military headquarters in Northwood, north-west London. The move comes amid a sharp rise in Russian naval incursions into British waters and growing strain in US-UK military relations over the ongoing conflict in Iran, which has left the two allies at odds over operations in the Strait of Hormuz.