US carrier strike groups join NATO allies for maritime exercises

Two carrier strike groups from the U.S. Navy and three carrier strike groups from NATO allies are teaming up this month. The exercises are designed to bolster interoperability between NATO countries.

Joining the exercises from the U.S. Navy is the nation’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford. The Ford’s strike group and the George H.W. Bush carrier strike group will accompany carrier strike groups from Italy, France and the United Kingdom. The five carrier strike groups are operating in the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean and the North sea.

Royal Navy Vice Admiral Keith Blount, the commander of the NATO Allied Maritime Command said the five carrier strike groups will perform a series of maneuvers designed to demonstrate NATO cohesion.

“This opportunity demonstrates our ironclad commitment to the stability and security of the Euro-Atlantic Area and the strength of our collective capability,” Blount said in a statement Friday.

The $13.3 billion USS Gerald Ford is the most expensive ship ever built by the U.S. Navy. It’s also the most advanced. It incorporates 23 new technologies representing significant advances in propulsion, power generation, ordnance handling and aircraft launch systems all while operating with a 20% smaller crew.

Over the course of the exercises with NATO, the USS Gerald Ford will work through eight combat phases including air defense exercises, long-range strikes and anti-submarine warfare.

The ultimate goal of the multination seafaring operation is to evaluate NATO’s deter and defend concept for the region.