The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group joined six allies in the eastern Atlantic on Tuesday to begin exercise Silent Wolverine, the Pentagon announced Tuesday.
The Ford CSG joined ships from Canada, Denmark, Germany, Spain, France and the Netherlands for the drills, which will test the countries’ interoperability and interchangeability with each other, a Navy spokesperson told USNI News.
The strike group participants include USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), USS Normandy (CG-60), USS McFaul (DDG-74) and USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116), the Navy spokesperson said.
It will be the first time that the U.S. will test Ford’s ability to work with the other countries joining the exercise, the spokesperson said.
Silent Wolverine will also help train for NATO deterrence, Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said Tuesday.
“Silent Wolverine demonstrates the U.S. commitment to supporting regional stability and security through seamless interchangeability amongst participating NATO allies,” he said.
The following ships will participate in the exercise, which is slated to last until Nov. 14:
Canada
- HMCS Montréal (FFH-336)
Denmark
- HDMS Peter Willemoes (F362)
Germany
- FGS Hessen (F 221)
Spain
- ESPS Álvaro de Bazán (F101)
France
- FS Chevalier Paul (D 621)
The Netherlands
- HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (F802)
- HNLMS Van Amstel (F831)
Ford made a port call in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Nov. 1. It is expected to make a port call in Portsmouth, England, according to U.K. Defence Journal.
The strike group left Naval Station Norfolk, Va., on Oct. 4 for two months of operations in the Atlantic.
The U.S. has expanded its carrier presence in Europe since December when the Pentagon tasked the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group to take up station in the Mediterranian Sea as Russia massed troops on its border with Ukraine ahead of the February invasion. The George H.W. Bush CSG, which was operating off the coast of Italy as of Monday, relieved the Truman CSG in August.
