WARSAW, Poland — Shortly after Brigade Gen. Adam Duda, the head of the Polish Defence Ministry's Armament Inspectorate, was reported as saying that his ministry is in talks with its Norwegian counterpart on launching a joint submarine procurement, Norway's Defense Ministry stated it has not decided yet on the final shape of its submarine program.
"[W]e are in dialogue with several countries, including Poland. There is no plan to launch a joint procurement with Poland at this stage, but Norway is hoping for a joint procurement on this acquisition. We are just not sure if this will be possible — and with whom yet," Ann-Kristin Salbuvik, the assistant director general at the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, wrote in an email.
According to the statement, Oslo has not decided on the number of subs it is aiming to acquire. Moreover, the ministry says it has not offered to provide one submarine to the Polish Navy to help Warsaw maintain its submarine capacity.
Salbuvik said that the talks with the Polish ministry are good, but that she would not use the word "advanced" to describe their current state.
The Polish Navy is aiming to acquire three new submarines to replace its outdated Kobben-class subs, which are to be decommissioned by 2021. In addition to Norway, other potential partners for a joint submarine procurement that are reportedly being considered by Poland include the Netherlands.
Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.
