U.S. in the Arctic Circle

U.S. Carriers Are Operating in the Arctic Circle for the First Time in Decades

The reason is Russia.

By Kyle Mizokami
U.S. NAVY PHOTO BY MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST SEAMAN MAXWELL HIGGINS

A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier is operating north of the Arctic Circle for the first time in twenty seven years. The USS Harry S. Truman and its escorts are currently operating in the Norwegian Sea, practicing cold weather operations—and acting as a not so subtle hint to Russia.


During the Cold War, the U.S. Navy routinely operated north of the Arctic Circle. In the event of war, the Navy would have sent several carrier battle groups into the Norwegian Sea to attack Soviet naval facilities in the Murmansk region. These exercises halted after the collapse of the Warsaw Pact. The last time a carrier has ventured that far north was NATO Northern Star exercises in 1991. The Soviet Union itself dissolved later that year, and with it the Navy’s excuse for training in cold weather. Recent conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria have been fought in far more temperate regions.

USS Truman is the centerpiece of Carrier Strike Group Eight, which according to USNI News consists of the carrier Truman and the embarked Carrier Air Wing One. The guided missile cruiser USS Normandy is also assigned to CSG 8. USNI lists an unusually large number of guided missile destroyers acting as escorts: Farragut, Forrest Sherman, Bulkeley, Arleigh Burke, The Sullivans, and Jason Dunham. A U.S. Navy nuclear attack submarine is typically assigned to each carrier strike group but is rarely announced.

Operating in the Arctic has special challenges for warships and carrier operations in particular. Rough seas make carrier flight decks a particularly tricky—and dangerous—place to operate, and pilots aircraft handlers must deal with ice buildup on aircraft and the flight deck freezing temperatures. Temperatures in the Norwegian Sea are currently in their forties, with morning snow falls and occasional rain. The region is experiencing wind gusts up to 45 knots and waves as high as 22 feet.

From October 25th to November 23rd Carrier Strike Group Eight will participate in Trident Juncture, a NATO exercise designed to simulate rapidly reinforcing a member country under attack. The exercise will involve 50,000 NATO servicemen and women, 150 aircraft, 65 ships, and 10,000 vehicles. Trident Juncture will take place largely in Norway, with exercises taking place in Iceland, Finland, and Sweden.