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STRIKFORNATO sails to exercise Trident Juncture 2018
On board USS Mount Whitney, North Sea – Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) is sailing for the start of exercise Trident Juncture 2018, taking place off the coast of Norway, from 25 October to 7 November.
Trident Juncture 2018, one of the largest NATO exercises of recent years, will feature the participation of 65 ships, 150 aircraft, 10,000 vehicles, and 50,000 personnel from 31 NATO and partner nations. The exercise is designed to ensure that NATO forces are trained and able to operate together, and to demonstrate NATO’s collective capability.
"Trident Juncture is about commitment, cohesion, capability, and readiness from all of our Allies,” said Vice Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Commander of Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO and U.S. 6th Fleet. "No single nation can address today’s challenges alone, and Trident Juncture demonstrates our combined and enduring willingness to work toward our common goals of regional security and stability.”
STRIKFORNATO deployed from Lisbon on board the command and control ship USS Mount Whitney with a staff of more than 200 personnel. During the first week of the underway period, the staff conducted internal training, to prepare for the commencement of the NATO-flagged exercise.
STRIKFORNATO is a rapidly deployable maritime expeditionary headquarters which integrates U.S. naval and amphibious assets into NATO operations. It has the capability to plan, command, and control the maritime operations across the full spectrum of the Alliance’s security tasks.