UK Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard has called for allied navies to move beyond interoperability towards interchangeability, enabling northern European countries to repair, maintain and resupply each other's warships through integrated defense supply chains.
Speaking at ISPC 2026, Pollard said the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) could drive closer industrial cooperation between its member nations, strengthening their collective ability to respond to security threats and support NATO operations.
He argued that future defense cooperation should go beyond ensuring that allied forces and equipment can operate together, allowing countries to use each other's industrial capabilities, maintenance infrastructure and supply networks.
"Our aspirations should be JEF-wide supply chains that allow a British frigate to be repaired in Estonia, a Dutch warship to restock here in Norway – not just interoperable but interchangeable," Pollard said.
He called for an innovative, open-architecture approach incorporating new technologies and drawing on the sovereign industrial strengths of individual nations. Such an approach, he said, would strengthen collective security while complementing NATO operations.
Pollard pointed to Norway's acquisition of five Type 26 frigates alongside the eight Royal Navy Type 26 frigates as an example of how closer defense cooperation can deliver practical benefits. The combined fleet is expected to provide enhanced anti-submarine warfare capabilities across northern Europe.
The minister also stressed the need to expand partnerships beyond military forces by bringing together national industrial bases and supply chains.
"The JEF can be the engine that propels this integration forwards," he said.
According to Pollard, stronger collaboration between nations, armed forces and defense industries will be essential to improving regional security. Through trusted partnerships, open systems and closer industrial cooperation, northern European countries can become harder to threaten, faster to reinforce and better prepared to fight and win as members of the JEF and NATO.
To remind, during the ISPC 2026, the UK government revealed it is investing £90 million in new drones, underwater sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) systems for the Royal Navy to strengthen its ability to detect threats and protect critical undersea infrastructure in the North Atlantic.