US Carrier Strike Group Pivots to NATO Waters Amid Russia Threat

The United States deployed a carrier strike group to Northern Europe as it arrived in the North Sea on Monday amid increasing Russian threats to the transatlantic alliance NATO.
The U.S. Navy announced that the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, composed of aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, cruiser USS Gettysburg, and destroyers USS Stout and USS Jason Dunham, transited the Strait of Dover and reached the North Sea.
The waterway, also known as the Dover Narrows, is the narrowest part of the English Channel, where the shortest distance across the strait is about 20 miles. It separates Great Britain from mainland Europe and the Atlantic Ocean from the North Sea.
The U.S. aircraft carrier’s deployment came as Russia, amidst its war with Ukraine, repeatedly threatens nuclear escalation against Kyiv and its partners in the West.
The arrival of the Harry S. Truman also coincided with NATO’s annual nuclear exercise, Steadfast Noon, which commenced on Monday with over 60 aircraft taking part in training flights over Western Europe, including the airspace over the North Sea.
The U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, which has an area of responsibility that covers all of Russia and Europe and nearly the entire continent of Africa, confirmed to Newsweek via email that the carrier strike group “is not participating in exercise Steadfast Noon.”
“The strike group will conduct operations in the North Sea with allies and partners from several countries in the region, demonstrating the warfighting interoperability and strategic relationships built over the past eighty years,” the U.S. Navy said in a news release.
According to the news release, the carrier strike group will support the U.S. Naval Forces Europe’s maritime operations and theater security cooperation missions. It will also work with allies and partners in the region to maintain maritime safety, security, and stability.
“We will operate with our NATO allies and partners to strengthen our collective readiness, defense, and deterrence,” said Rear Admiral Sean Bailey, commander of the carrier strike group. “We look forward to showcasing our interoperability [in confronting challenges].”
On September 23, the Harry S. Truman and its warship escorts left Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia for a regularly scheduled deployment to Europe. The Navy said this showed the American deployed naval force’s commitment and power projection capability.
Meanwhile, the deployment raised concern about the U.S. military presence in the Middle East, where Israel has vowed Tehran will pay a price for the Iranian strike on the country on October 1, while its conflict with Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon has intensified.
The U.S. currently deploys the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East. The ship was underway in the Northern Arabian Sea, the U.S. Naval Institute News reported. On September 29, the Pentagon said the warship had been ordered to remain on station.
It was not immediately clear when the Abraham Lincoln would conclude its Middle East deployment. The U.S. Navy previously stationed two aircraft carriers in the region until one of them, USS Theodore Roosevelt, departed for the Pacific Ocean on September 12.
Regarding a potential Harry S. Truman voyage to the Middle East, Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder said on October 10 that the U.S. already has a significant amount of capability in the region to protect its forces and respond to contingencies.