Military forces from several NATO countries are participating this week in three major exercises inside the Arctic Circle, focused on capacity building, cooperation and cross-border law enforcement.
More than 30 ships, four submarines and multiple aircraft, from maritime patrols to troop transports, have kicked off NATO’s Joint Warrior 2023 maneuver.
Set primarily off the northern Norwegian coast and along the northern European seas, Joint Warrior is run by the British Royal Navy and incorporates surface, underwater, airborne and land-based scenarios.
Participating countries include Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Joint Warrior is one of the three major international maneuvers currently underway and focused on arctic scenarios. The other two are the Norwegian-led Joint Viking, a winter military exercise held every two years, and Arctic Forge, a global exercise led by the US military that builds on exercises hosted by its partners in Finland and Norway. .
“During Joint Warrior we validated and developed new capabilities that allow NATO allies to fight more effectively alongside each other,” said CDR Peter Flynn, commanding officer of the USS Arleigh Burke, one of the destroyers participating in the Joint Warrior 2023. “America’s lead destroyer, the USS Arleigh Burke, brings a highly capable ship and an enthusiastic crew – when combined with our NATO allies, we are the most capable fighting force on Earth.”
Joint Viking, which is developed alongside Joint Warrior, aims to ensure that the Norwegian Armed Forces are capable of defending Norway. This is especially true for a large and strategically located country like Norway, especially in light of the deteriorating security situation and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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