Overview

• The carrier group operated from August 23 to September 8 at the edge of the Arctic, maneuvering in the Norwegian Sea and waters southeast of Svalbard.
• A surface action group centered on USS Bainbridge and USS Mahan integrated with Norway’s Thor Heyerdahl, France’s Aquitaine, and Germany’s Hamburg under national tasking and NATO Standing Maritime Group 1.
• Coalition auxiliaries USNS William McLean, HNoMS Maud, and FS Somme sustained the force during coordinated sea, air, and strike training.
• USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Winston S. Churchill conducted flight and strike exercises with the Royal Norwegian Air Force to sharpen NATO interoperability.
• U.S. 6th Fleet said the deployment advances the 2024 DoD Arctic Strategy and that the strike group now continues deterrence and security missions across Europe and Africa.