Led by a Royal Norwegian Navy frigate, a flotilla of NATO warships sailed into the Barents Sea in late August 2025 in a show of force designed to deter Russian threats to vital sea-lanes that connect Europe to the increasingly contested Arctic region. The four-vessel naval group, comprised of two Norwegian and two United States naval ships, operated off the northern tip of Norway in that country’s territorial waters. The ships sailed close to North Cape, the northernmost point of continental Europe, reported the Barents Observer, a Norwegian newspaper. “We want to show our presence with allied forces in the northern part of Norway,” said Brynjar Stordal, a Norwegian military spokesman.
The joint patrol was part of a larger naval movement. The U.S.S Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group had recently moved from the North Sea to the Norwegian Sea, west of the Barents Sea. The region is a geopolitical hotspot. The Russian Navy’s Northern Fleet is based nearby at Kola Peninsula. In a conflict between Russia and NATO, the Russian fleet would seek to take control of the Barents Sea and maritime areas farther west and south, according to the newspaper. Russia also would want to safeguard its fleet of ballistic missile submarines based at Kola to protect its nuclear capabilities. The Barents Sea is a pathway for the submarines to reach deeper waters, making them harder for NATO to track, the newspaper reported.
The Norwegian frigate Thor Heyerdahl led the flotilla, followed by two U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, the USS Mahan and USS Bainbridge. The Norwegian fuel and supply ship Maud also participated. Above the ships, two Royal Norwegian Air Force F-35s and a P-8 Poseidon provided air support, according to the newspaper. Earlier, the Mahan and Bainbridge had been sailing with the U.S. carrier strike group, and the ships maintained contact with the group during their patrol.
The U.S. Navy’s presence in the area isn’t new. In 2024, the guided-missile destroyers USS Jason Dunham and USS Stout visited the area but remained outside Norwegian territorial waters. U.S. naval ships joining Norwegian naval and air assets in defense of Norway’s northern maritime domains marks an increased level of maritime collaboration among the longtime NATO allies. “It is important for us to train together and have allied naval presence outside our northern coast,” said Stordal.
The region has witnessed several sabotage incidents since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. An underseas communication cable was cut in the Svalbard archipelago that year. And northern Norwegian military air bases and radar systems have been targeted by operations linked to Russia, which has included the Nordic country on its “unfriendly country” list. The U.S. Navy presence is designed to send a message to Moscow about NATO resolve. The carrier strike group’s scheduled deployment is “showcasing our collective deterrence and commitment to defend the Euro-Atlantic region,” according to an August 26 Facebook post from the Gerald R. Ford.