Military Tempo Mounts in Arctic

On 22 February 2021,four US Air Force B-1B Lancer strategic bombers arrived at Orland Air Base, Norway.It marked an historic occasion,the first ever Bomber Task Force deployment to the Scandinavian country. The missions flown by the Lancers are meant to increase the lethality and readiness of the combined forces in the north of Europe,NATO said. GEN Jeff Harrigian, Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa, enthused: I'm looking forward to showcasing our ability to operate out of this new location and get after the mission in fresh environments.* The drills will integrate fifth generation Norwegian F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters with the B-1Bs, demonstrating the Allies' technological achievements in defence and interoperability.The US and its Allies conduct regular and routine operations to remain flexible and agile to meet any contigency in the operational environment,NATO Allied Air Command pointed out.* Elsewhere in the north,NORAD and US NORTHCOM Commander GEN Glen D. VanHerck,issued a statement on 18 February: NORAD is aware of Russian military aircraft forward deployments.NORAD continues to defend all approaches to North America and stands ready,as always, to respond appropriately to the capabilities that these deployments represent.NORAD's ability to maintain all domain awareness enables rapid decision superiority in our response operations, and enhances its ability to protect North America.* Indeed, from 8-19 February the US Army began a new exercise, Arctic Warrior 21,at both Donnelly Training Area near Fort Greely,Alaska and the Richardson Training Area at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.Participating were the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) out of JBER, plus units from Fort Wainwright, Alaska and the Royal Canadian Air Force. More than 1200 troops, including infantry, artillery and support Soldiers and Airmen, took part in the live fire drills. The Army is concerned because Alaska is key to US strategic power projection, and nations are keen to protect their northern borders as the Arctic becomes more accessible.Thus it has initiated Arctic Warrior and plans to scale it up in future annual iterations.* In the course of Arctic Warrior 21 ,an airborne insertion was conducted by a Battalion Task Force into the Donnelly Drop Zone and faced a near peer adversary simulated by the IBCT (ABN).It validated the Brigade's ability to rapidly deploy a battalion-sized force and conduct near peer operations in the Arctic environment.4-25 IBCT also staged winter field training and STXs (Situational Training Exercises) across Richardson Training Area.* The American and Canadian forces practised an aerial assault in which a detachment from the RCAF's 450th Tactical Helicopter Squadron out of Petewawa, Ontario provided CH-47 Chinooks for US paratroopers of the 1st Battalion,52nd Aviation Regiment and 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion 25th Aviation Regiment out of Fort Wainwright, the Fort's Public Affairs said.*