A Royal Danish Air Force F-16 pilot participates in Operation Global Guardian. ROYAL DANISH AIR FORCE
European and North American allies conducted Operation Global Guardian to demonstrate the advantage of global alliances, integrated deterrence, layered defense, readiness and the seamless integration of air forces from North America and European nations in support of Arctic defense and NATO’s northern flank. The air forces from eight nations participated, including Canada, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States, in June 2024. The operation was part of the Global Guardian series of biannual enhanced vigilance activities that demonstrate how the U.S. and allied nations through global integration can provide continuous and coordinated air defense cover against adversary long-range aviation threats to Europe and North America.
In his posture statement delivered to the House Armed Services Committee on March 12, 2024, Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), emphasized the importance of international cooperation, stating, “Global alliances and partnerships based on mutual trust and interoperability provide the United States and our allies with a distinct advantage over our competitors. Our competitors continue their relentless efforts to increase presence, economic leverage, and influence in our region, proving the necessity of security cooperation with USNORTHCOM’s exemplary military partners time and again.”
Operation Global Guardian supports the Department of Defense global exercise series, with U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) as the lead combatant command for 2024. USEUCOM’s Large Scale Global Exercise 24 is designed to strengthen agility and interoperability with allies and partners and demonstrate joint military cooperation. Other participating combatant commands in Operation Global Guardian included U.S. Strategic Command and U.S. Transportation Command.
A key contributor to Operation Global Guardian is the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), consisting of 10 Northern European nations committed to coordinated exercises and defense activities to preserve peace and security, reassure allies and partners, and deter malign influence activities in the High North, Scandinavia, the Baltic Sea region and northern Atlantic. The JEF includes Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the U.K. Since Finland and Sweden’s accession, all JEF participant nations are also NATO members. The U.K. provides the permanent operational headquarters for the JEF at Standing Joint Force Headquarters in Northwood, England, with Maj. Gen. Tom Bateman as commander.
“Global Guardian is exciting,” said Royal Air Force Group Capt. Kevin Latchman, former JEF director of communications in Northwood. “Not only does it leverage high-end B-52 capability from the U.S. but it also provides a unique opportunity to work together across the vast geography of the High North and North Atlantic and test our operational and tactical linkages across a number of domains.”
Operation Global Guardian began at 7:25 a.m. June 18, 2024, when two U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers took off from Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford station in Gloucestershire, U.K. At 8:55 a.m., the Bomber Task Force (BTF) was intercepted by two RAF Typhoon fighters for escort. At 10:25 a.m., the BTF was joined by two F-35 fighters from the Royal Netherlands Air Force. Fifteen minutes later, two F-16 fighters from the Royal Danish Air Force joined in providing BTF air support. At 11:15 a.m., the BTF was joined by two JAS 39 Gripens from the Swedish Air Force. At 11:50 a.m., the BTF was intercepted by two F-35 fighters from the Royal Norwegian Air Force. At 12:25 p.m., the BTF was intercepted by two FA-18 fighters from the Finnish Air Force. Both Finland and Sweden are new NATO members with robust air power capability. Finally, at 1:10 p.m., the B-52 BTF split over North America’s eastern and western flanks.
Operation Global Guardian demonstrated global integration through coordinated air operations, sensor networks and Quick Reaction Alert fighter and tanker readiness in defense of the Arctic and NATO’s northern flank. Participating nations connected their air forces through shared command and control centers, executed intercepts, and coordinated handoffs to successive defense layers. This collaborative effort unified European and North American allies into a cohesive front against long-range aviation threats. Finally, the U.S. and allied air forces from Canada, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the U.K. demonstrated the credibility and flexibility of allied forces to address the complex, dynamic and unpredictable nature of the global security environment.