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News
NEWS | March 9, 2023

USS Arleigh Burke begins exercise JOINT WARRIOR 23-1

By Ensign Benjamin K. Cusimano

The first-in-class guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke, a Forward-Deployed Naval Forces Europe (FDNFE) ship, joins NATO allies for exercise Joint Warrior 23-1, March 7, 2023.

Under the command and control of Commander, Task Force (CTF) 65, the FDNF-E ship will join allies in the two-week long multilateral training exercise.

“During Joint Warrior we validate and develop new capabilities that allow NATO allies to fight more effectively alongside one another,” said CDR Peter Flynn, commanding officer of USS Arleigh Burke. “America’s Lead Destroyer, USS Arleigh Burke, brings a highly capable ship and an enthusiastic crew – when combined with our NATO allies, we are the most capable fighting force on Earth.”

Led by the U.K. Royal Navy, exercise Joint Warrior 23-1 is a biannual, multilateral, multi-warfare exercise that incorporates surface, subsurface, airborne, and land scenarios to provide joint training in a multi-threat environment for NATO units. Participating nations include Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Poland, the U.K., and the U.S. The exercise will predominantly take place off the Northern coast of Norway and throughout the Northern European Seas with more than 30 ships, 4 submarines and multiple aircraft ranging from maritime patrol to troop transporters.

The robust security relationship between the U.S. and U.K., with combined exercises, bilateral exchanges, shared investments, and combined planning make both forces stronger and ready for future security challenges.

The NATO alliance is vital to European security and also to U.S. national interests. NATO allies and partners take every opportunity to train together to refine tactics, techniques, and procedures to increase our interoperability.

For over 80 years, NAVEUR-NAVAF has forged strategic relationships with our allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability.

Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces in the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) areas of responsibility. U.S. Sixth Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF, and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations.