US Navy, NATO explosive ordnance teams tackle High North during ‘Arctic Sentry’

Braving Norway’s freezing winter in early February, U.S. Navy and NATO explosive ordnance disposal teams put their skills to the test ahead of this year’s largest Arctic exercise.

U.S. sailors joined Swedish and Norwegian troops to carry out " Arctic Specialist 26 ,“ an annual Norwegian exercise focused on mine-clearing and strategic explosive disposal training.

Over their 10 days in Kristiansand, the crews practiced neutralizing explosives both underwater and on land, conducting rapid airfield repair and engaging in short-range combat under harsh Arctic conditions.

Swedish forces, NATO’s newest members as of 2024, were fully integrated in the training, signaling more interoperability in the increasingly contested region.

“ In the Arctic, the smallest detail can become the biggest threat," Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Juan Hernandez said in a release . “Our integration with Norwegian and Swedish partners ensures we operate as a single, lethal force.”

The exercise was reportedly a success, with U.S. Navy leaders praising the tight collaboration between participating nations, claiming " unparalleled skill “ was shown during operations.

Arctic Specialist 26 took place just a few days before NATO announced its new framework for the region, called “Arctic Sentry,” led by Joint Force Command Norfolk.

Training in the Arctic , meanwhile, has taken on a new sense of urgency as allies seek to defend the High North amid continued cooperation in the region by Chinese and Russian forces.

Arctic Specialist 26 offered an early look at what small, specialized teams can accomplish in the High North.

These drills also help set the stage for the upcoming Cold Response 26 , NATO’s largest Arctic exercise of the year.

The joint exercise, also called CORE 26, operates under NATO’s new Arctic Sentry framework and is a major Norwegian-led, NATO-allied military drill held across the the region.

It is scheduled to take place in March, with around 25,000 troops from 14 countries across the alliance slated to take part.

2月初，美国海军和北约爆炸物处理小组冒着挪威严寒的冬季，在今年规模最大的北极演习之前，对他们的技能进行了测试。

美国水兵与瑞典和挪威军队一起执行了“北极专家 26”演习，这是一项挪威年度演习，重点是扫雷和战略爆炸物处理训练。

在克里斯蒂安桑的 10 天里，队员们练习了水下和陆地上的爆炸物拆除，进行了快速机场维修，并在严酷的北极条件下进行了短程战斗。

瑞典军队是北约2024年的最新成员国，他们已完全融入训练中，这标志着在这个竞争日益激烈的地区，互操作性将得到提升。

“在北极，哪怕是最微小的细节都可能变成最大的威胁，”海军高级士官长胡安·埃尔南德斯在一份声明中表示。“我们与挪威和瑞典伙伴的合作确保我们能够像一支单一的致命力量一样行动。”

据报道，此次演习取得了成功，美国海军领导人称赞了参演国家之间的紧密合作，并声称在行动中展现了“无与伦比的技能”。

北极专家 26 会议召开前几天，北约宣布了由诺福克联合部队司令部领导的该地区新框架，名为“北极哨兵”。

与此同时，随着中国和俄罗斯军队在该地区持续合作，盟国寻求保卫北极地区，在北极进行训练也变得愈发紧迫。

《北极专家 26》让我们提前了解了小型专业团队在高北地区能够取得的成就。

这些演习也有助于为即将到来的“寒冷反应 26”演习奠定基础，这是北约今年规模最大的北极演习。

此次联合演习，又称 CORE 26，是在北约新的“北极哨兵”框架下进行的，是由挪威领导、北约盟国在该地区举行的一次大型军事演习。

该演习计划于3月举行，预计将有来自联盟14个国家的约25000名士兵参加。