‘USS Harry S. Truman’ Sails Into Arctic During Drills with Norway to Counter Growing Russian Influence

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) –

A U.S. nuclear aircraft carrier is operating in the Arctic for only the third time since the end of the Cold War. The USS Harry S. Truman strike group is conducting extended exercises with Norway and other NATO allies inside the Arctic Circle. The forces are sailing in Norway’s Vestfjorden near the Lofoten archipelago. 

“NATO might not have an Arctic Strategy, but the repeat appearance of a U.S. aircraft carrier taking part in training exercise above the Arctic Circle certainly points to a deepened commitment to North Atlantic security for the alliance,” says Elizabeth Buchanan, a polar geopolitics expert at Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

The presence of a U.S. nuclear aircraft carrier in the Arctic remains a rare sight. In 1991 USS America operated in the region during NATO exercise North Star. It took almost thirty years for the next visit.

USS Harry S. Truman participated in NATO exercise Trident Juncture in 2019 followed by USS Gerald Ford last summer. Three visits by American aircraft carriers over the course of five years speak to the heightened tension in the region.

Buchanan notes that the aircraft carrier is unlikely to sail into the Barents Sea closer to Russia. “It is doubtful the West is going to poke the Russian bear by following this course.”

The Nordic exercise began last month with maneuvers further south in the Norwegian Sea and a highly visible visit by the aircraft carrier to Norway’s capital of Oslo. At the time it was unclear if the drills would move further north into Arctic waters. The current exercise includes Norwegian frigate HNoMS Roald Amundsen, as well as Italian and Danish frigates Carabiniere and HDMS Vædderen. British aircraft carrier HMS Prince Wales also participated.

“The presence is an important signal for the close bilateral relationship and increases the credibility of collective defense and deterrence,” said Vice Admiral Rune Andersen, Chief of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters (NJHQ). 

“The visit shows that NATO is ready to defend itself, and that we stand together in this. The current security situation will not pass quickly, so we must get used to higher military activity almost continuously.”

The drills also send a clear signal to Russia and China, who recently conducted their first-ever joint Arctic patrol off the coast of Alaska.

“The fact that they are working together in the Arctic has our attention,” Michael Sfraga, the United States’ first ambassador-at-large for Arctic affairs told Reuters. “We are being both vigilant and diligent about this. We’re watching very closely this evolution of their activity.”

While the Atlantic theater has seen repeat NATO drills, U.S. surface vessel presence in waters around Alaska remains more limited. The U.S. Coast Guard struggles to add to its complement of aging icebreakers. USCGC Healy’s annual Arctic patrol was cut short following an onboard fire. Following emergency repairs in Seattle the icebreaker returned to the Bering and Chukchi Seas for an abbreviated late-season mission.

“Washington finds itself in a perplexing position right now – weak in the North American Arctic capability context, to the point they are caught by surprise with Chinese Coast Guard vessels (in partnership with Russia) operating off the coast of Alaska, but projecting strength in the European Arctic,” Buchanan explains.

The Pentagon has expressed growing concern over Russian and Chinese cooperation in the region, including in the updated Arctic strategy released earlier this summer.

“While the transatlantic bond is an important interest for the U.S., one wonders why U.S. vital national interests on the Alaskan doorstep aren’t better resourced or prioritized,” concludes Buchanan.

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