Norwegian Sea – Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) will exercise the integration of Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group as part of a NATO Expanded Task Force during the tactical phase of exercise Trident Juncture 2018. The exercise began on October 25th, and will continue until November 7th in Norway.

 

STRIKFORNATO is deployed on board USS Mount Whitney as a maritime component command headquarters, commanding a multinational task force, including 25 warships, an expeditionary strike group with their embarked Marines, and now, the addition of a carrier strike group.

 

"The addition of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group to STRIKFORNATO’s task force as part of exercise Trident Juncture 18 provides a tremendous opportunity to exercise the complex requirements of coordinating multiple strike groups, including an aircraft carrier strike group and a naval expeditionary strike group. Collectively, these strike groups bring enormous reach and capability to the exercise battlespace, and tremendously enhance national and NATO training requirement”, said Vice Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Commander of STRIKFORNATO and US 6th Fleet.

 

Exercise Trident Juncture 18 was designed to ensure that NATO forces are trained and ready. Through its command of an Expanded Task Force during Trident Juncture, exercising sea control while concurrently projecting power ashore with the amphibious operations of an expeditionary strike group and air operations of a carrier strike group, STRIKFORNATO is demonstrating the inherent and substantial capability and flexibility that sea power brings to the Alliance.

 

Participation in NATO exercise Trident Juncture 2018 is the most recent evolution in USS Harry S. Truman’s deployment which began in April 2018. Deployed to U.S. European Command’s Area of Operations, the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group has conducted operations in support of the U.S. Sixth Fleet in the Eastern Mediterranean, bilateral exercises, and now has the opportunity to operate above the Arctic Circle, in the North Atlantic, and Norwegian Sea.