Operation “Atlantic City”: US, Norway and UK forces deploy to Jan Mayen

As part of the Allied deployment in the Arctic, the armed forces of the United States, Norway and the United Kingdom operated on Jan Mayen island to participate in Operation “Atlantic City”, the trilateral defence training exercise being held in the Arctic region from 26 August to 4 September. This activity falls within Operation “Arctic Sentry”, which is intended to reinforce NATO forces’ deterrence, defence and interoperability capabilities in the Arctic and High North.

Operation “Atlantic City” on Jan Mayen

Broadly, Operation “Atlantic City” is designed to improve collective-defence capabilities, validate the rapid projection of force and ensure Allied forces remain operationally ready. The exercise will bring together the multinational capabilities of US, Norwegian and British forces in a swift demonstration of integrated operations, focused on safeguarding regional security, sea-denial operations and maritime domain awareness. Command-and-control centres, sensors and precision fires are also being incorporated into the deployment.

Allied forces and capabilities in the Arctic

Operation “Atlantic City” includes personnel from the Royal Norwegian Navy and Norwegian Home Guard, elements of No. 70 Squadron of the Royal Air Force and detachments from the Royal Marines Commandos. US Marine Corps forces are also participating, including Marines from US Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa (MARFOREUR/AF), II Marine Expeditionary Force, elements of the 10th Marine Regiment and Marine Air Support Squadron 1.

The US Navy is contributing elements from Sixth Fleet and Task Force 68. According to the US Marine Corps statement, an American MC-130J Commando II and C-130J will provide the air-mobility and rapid-insertion capabilities.

US Marine Corps Major General Daniel Shipley highlighted that the “Atlantic City” exercise “…. demonstrates the strong relationship we maintain with our Norwegian and British allies…. By jointly developing our warfighting capability, we ensure that the responsibility for securing the Arctic is effectively shared among all members of the Alliance”. The Arctic and High North are central to NATO’s collective security because of their importance for maritime lines of communication, amid growing strategic competition and power projection.

The deployment and strengthened military presence of Allied forces in the Arctic are intended to ensure their operational readiness in complex, high-intensity environments, adapted to the region’s climatic and geographical conditions. The Norwegian island of Jan Mayen, located around 1,000 kilometres from mainland Norway, offers an operational setting in which Allied forces can train for demanding Arctic conditions, enhance interoperability and conduct joint operations in adverse circumstances. The island lies north of the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom (GIUK) gap, a strategically important maritime passage in the Arctic.

NATO exercises in the Arctic

Running alongside Operation “Atlantic City”, the multinational exercise “Northern Viking 26” is taking place in the North Atlantic region from 22 August to 3 September. It involves the United States, Iceland, Belgium, Denmark, Canada, Finland, France, Lithuania, Germany, Norway and Poland, together with Allied Maritime Command and NATO’s Joint Force Command Norfolk. Its air and maritime training activities include anti-submarine warfare, mine countermeasures, humanitarian medical response, disaster response, search and rescue, and expeditionary construction.

These training activities form part of “Arctic Sentry”, NATO’s enhanced-vigilance activity aimed at consolidating Allied deterrence and defence in the Arctic and High North. In this context, Norwegian Army Major General Forde Kristoffersen, Deputy Chief of Staff Operations at JFC Norfolk, stated: “Arctic Sentry is our way of synchronising all Arctic activities carried out by the Allies to increase regional security, achieve the greatest possible deterrent effect from those activities, and ensure that we have increased our shared situational awareness in the Arctic”, as described in the JFC Norfolk statement.