An F/A-18 Hornet prepares for takeoff from the flight deck of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) off the coast of Norway. Photo from Facebook/USS Harry S. Truman. FACEBOOK
THE WATCH STAFF
In mid-November 2024, a U.S. nuclear aircraft carrier was operating in the Arctic for only the third time since the end of the Cold War. The USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) strike group was participating in exercises with Norway and other NATO allies inside the Arctic Circle, a shift from its expected Middle East mission.
“NATO might not have an Arctic Strategy, but the repeat appearance of a U.S. aircraft carrier taking part in a training exercise above the Arctic Circle certainly points to a deepened commitment to North Atlantic security for the alliance,” Elizabeth Buchanan, a polar geopolitics expert at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told the website gcaptain.com.
Until recent years, the presence of a U.S. nuclear aircraft carrier in the Arctic was unusual. In 1991, the USS America (CV-66) operated in the region during NATO exercise North Star. It took almost 30 years before the next visit from a U.S. carrier. The Truman participated in NATO exercise Trident Juncture in 2019, followed by a visit to the region by the USS Gerald Ford (CVN-78) in June 2023.
Three visits by U.S. aircraft carriers in five years put a spotlight on heightened tensions in the Arctic. The training in mid-November 2024, involving the 65 aircraft on the Truman and Norwegian F-35 fighter jets from Ørland Air Station, took place from Trøndelag in the south to Troms in the north.
“It is a powerful force we now get to practice with, which also demonstrates our allies’ ability and willingness to defend Norwegian areas of interest in the north,” said Col. Ole Marius Tørrisplass, chief of the 132nd Air Wing — Norway’s fleet of F-35s at Ørland. “This is a unique opportunity to train with our most important Ally. This is a force larger than the entire Norwegian Air Force.”
In early October 2024, Norway received two more F-35s, bringing the number of F-35s to 40. By summer of 2025, Norway’s F-35 fleet will be up to 52. The Nordic exercise began in October 2024 with maneuvers farther south in the Norwegian Sea and a visit by the aircraft carrier to Norway’s capital, Oslo. The mid-November exercise included the Norwegian frigate HNoMS Roald Amundsen (F311), as well as the Italian and Danish frigates Carabiniere (F 593) and HDMS Vaedderen (F359). The British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales (R09) also participated.
“The presence is an important signal for the close bilateral relationship and increases the credibility of collective defense and deterrence,” said Vice Adm. Rune Andersen, chief of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters (NJHQ). “The visit shows that NATO is ready to defend itself, and that we stand together in this. The current security situation will not pass quickly, so we must get used to higher military activity almost continuously.”
The drills also send a signal to the People’s Republic of China and Russia, which recently conducted their first joint Arctic patrol off Alaska. “The fact that they are working together in the Arctic has our attention,” Michael Sfraga, the first U.S. ambassador-at-large for Arctic affairs, told Reuters. “We are being both vigilant and diligent about this. We’re watching very closely this evolution of their activity.”
When the Truman departed Norfolk Naval Station on September 23, 2024, it appeared the warship and its strike group would be headed to the Middle East. The Navy has maintained a near-constant presence in the region since October 2023, when Israel responded to the Hamas terrorist attack by invading Gaza. On November 18, 2024, the Truman was reportedly heading to the Mediterranean Sea after completing operations in the Norwegian Sea.
In March 2024, in testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), said: “The success of homeland and continental defense requires capability and capacity to conduct sustained multidomain operations in the Arctic. The challenges associated with communicating, operating and surviving in the Arctic are well documented, and investment by the U.S. government, the department, and the military services reflect the need to compete in the region now and well into the future. … and further emphasis and investment is necessary to field the Arctic-capable platforms, properly trained and equipped forces, and infrastructure necessary to succeed in a region of enormous strategic consequence.”