Leonard T. Koonce
- Ships from the US and UK navies left the Barents Sea on Friday, concluding several days of exercises in the Arctic, an area of ​​growing interest to NATO navies.
- Russia’s Northern Fleet has its headquarters and main bases in the Barents Sea, and its ships conducted their own exercises at sea while American and British ships completed theirs.
- These photos show the latest in a larger effort by NATO Marines to increase their presence in the Arctic and adapt to the harsh conditions there.
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On Friday, US Navy ships and a British warship completed seven days of Arctic exercises when they left the Barents Sea, ending the first voyage of the US Navy surface ships to this sea since the mid-1980s.
A Surface Action Group of approximately 1,200 Sailors aboard the Aegis Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Donald Cook, USS Porter, USS Roosevelt, Combat Support Ship USNS Supply and the Frigate of the British Royal Navy HMS Kent entered Barents on May 4 for Arctic training.
The exercises were supported by a US Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and a US Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft.
The Donald Cook, Porter, Kent and Supply sailed the Arctic Circle on May 1 and conducted anti-submarine operations in the Norwegian Sea with a US Navy submarine and a P-8A .
Throughout the exercises, USNS Supply supported warships with supplies at sea, allowing U.S. and Allied ships to remain stationed for extended periods of time.
These photos show NATO’s latest naval venture in the Arctic, part of a larger effort by Alliance navies to increase their presence in the region and adapt to the harsh conditions there.
