UNITY & STRENGTH….U.S., U.K. Surface Warships Patrol Barents Sea For First Time Since the 1980s
The U.S. Navy surface force is operating in the Barents Sea for the first time since the Cold War, further expanding its portfolio of Arctic operations by aircraft carriers and surface combatants in the past two years.
Three Spain-based Arleigh Burke-class Aegis destroyers – USS Donald Cook (DDG-75), USS Porter (DDG-78) and USS Roosevelt (DDG-80) – along with fast combat support ship USNS Supply (T-AOE-6) and Royal Navy frigate HMS Kent (F 78) are in the Barents Sea, north of Russia, to “assert freedom of navigation and demonstrate seamless integration among allies,” according to a U.S. Navy news release.
These operations follow anti-submarine warfare training and operations by these ships over the course of the past month.
“In these challenging times, it is more important than ever that we maintain our steady drumbeat of operations across the European theater, while taking prudent measures to protect the health of our force,” Vice Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the commander of U.S. 6th Fleet, said in the release.
“We remain committed to promoting regional security and stability, while building trust and reinforcing a foundation of Arctic readiness.”
The Russian Ministry of Defense was of course kindly notified of the visit to the Barents Sea on May 1 in a bid to avoid mis-perceptions and inadvertent escalation.
Late last week, Donald Cook, Porter, Supply and Kent worked with a U.S. submarine and P-8A maritime patrol aircraft to conduct anti-submarine warfare drills above the Arctic Circle, after completing training together as part of the U.K’s Submarine Command Course (SMCC).
“For more than 70 years, 6th Fleet has operated forces across the region in support of maritime security and stability. Our regional alliances remain strong because of our regular operations and exercises with partner navies, and we welcome this opportunity to work collaboratively at sea, while enhancing our understanding of Arctic operations,” Franchetti said in a separate news release on the Arctic ASW operations.
“Our ships must be prepared to operate across all mission sets, even in the most unforgiving environments. This is especially critical in the Arctic, where the austere weather environment demands constant vigilance and practice.”
“One of the best attributes of our surface force is that we can aggregate at will, transitioning seamlessly from independent ships to coordinated operations,” Capt. Joseph Gagliano, the commander of Task Force 65 and Destroyer Squadron 60, said in last week’s news release.
“Our interoperability with our allies is so good that we can deploy multinational naval forces with minimal notice. That’s the real power of NATO.”
More Here:
https://news.usni.org/2020/05/04/u-s-u-k-surface-warships-patrol-barents-sea-for-first-time-since-the-1980s