British, American, and Italian aircraft carriers, along with American and Turkish assault ships plus a range of warships and support vessels, are taking part in Exercise NEPTUNE STRIKE 2024-2 to enhance NATO’s ability to defend strategic maritime chokepoints and deter potential threats.
The exercise, running from 24th to 31st October, features the Royal Navy’s HMS Prince of Wales, the U.S. Navy’s USS Harry S. Truman, the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp, Turkey’s TCG Anadolu, and Italy’s ITS Cavour, operating across the Mediterranean, North, and Baltic Seas.
#NATO Neptune Strike’s 2nd exercise in 2024 starts today, training Air-Sea integration in the Mediterranean & Adriatic Sea up to the North & Baltic Sea🇪🇪🇱🇹🇱🇻
With the 🇺🇸 USS Harry S Truman & 🇬🇧 HMS Prince Of Wales in the North. While 🇮🇹 ITS Cavour & 🇺🇸🇹🇷 Navy sails in the south pic.twitter.com/k2njmilwWd
— NATO Air Command (@NATO_AIRCOM) October 24, 2024
The exercise, led by NATO’s Naval Striking and Support Forces (STRIKFORNATO), showcases the complex integration of high-end maritime strike capabilities across multiple operational areas, with a focus on ensuring freedom of navigation and defence across strategic maritime chokepoints.
The exercise encompasses joint operational areas from the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas up to the North and Baltic Seas, featuring air, land, and sea coordination. It includes significant air-to-ground actions in the Baltic Sea region, notably with the involvement of NATO’s newest member, Sweden. Key operations include amphibious landings, counter-mine efforts, explosive ordnance disposal, and defence against drones.
Rear Adm. James Morley, Deputy Commander of STRIKFORNATO, commented, “The goal is to increase NATO’s ability to conduct wide-reaching multi-domain operations, integrating air, land, and sea forces in real-time to maintain freedom of movement and safeguard critical areas of operation.”
In the North Sea, the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is joined by the Royal Navy’s HMS Prince of Wales and her escorts. Meanwhile, in the Mediterranean, the command and control ship USS Mount Whitney leads operations, supported by the USS Wasp, USS Oak Hill, and Turkey’s amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu. Italy’s ITS Cavour also contributes to portions of the exercise.
A total of 20 surface vessels, submarines, Special Forces, and numerous aircraft are participating in the exercise, with approximately 15,000 personnel involved in various operational roles. NEST 24-2 reinforces NATO’s ability to respond to threats across multiple domains and locations.
This exercise, which is defensive in nature, is part of Project Neptune, launched in 2020 to improve the flexibility and pace of command and control within NATO’s naval strike and amphibious forces. It demonstrates NATO’s capability to integrate multinational strike and maritime groups across long distances, ensuring rapid, coordinated responses in times of crisis.
goo to see to other NATO nations that are often unmentioned putt groups to sea it serves to remind would be aggressors the there is more THan just the U.S and UK and France that can bring real power to the Mediterranean, Spain too have the assets to add to the list.
Also HMS Queen Elizabeth is out and about, so this is a really impressive demonstration of sea power. Anyone know if CDG is out too ? That really would be amazing to see so many flat decks out all at once. Imagine these all having full complements of aircraft, that would certainly send a message.
CdG did an exercise with Italian Cavour this month. Right now it is qualifying new pilots for landing training and qualification. US Navy Vice Admiral Dan Cheever visited the ship on Oct 22nd. Not sure what mission is planned after.
Oh, thanks for that… She really is an impressive ship, I was reading an article a few days ago which said France is to order the next Carrier (PANG ?) On paper it seems rather more impressive… something like 80,000 Tons, C’s and T’s, N powered and well armed. I’ll wait till anything actually comes of it before commenting though. I’m still waiting to comment on the long rumoured Russian “Super Carrier”.
Not sure I would compare the Russian BS every year to the French carrier, they have already started long lead items/planning for the new carrier.
PANG will be an impressive ship if built. Likely will cost similar to a Ford class eg £10-14 billion as EMALS, nuclear power plant will add to the cost, also just one in class so cost per hull-form for the programme is all lumped onto that one platform. Naval group are quoted as stating PANG will cost <£7 billion but numerous naval architect friends I have looked at the design and think the £10 billion mark is more accurate. Watch this space. Personally I think France would be better going for a QE class design and getting 2 ships for… Read more »