Thule Air Base Gets New Name

Thule Air Base Gets New Name: Thule Air Base, the Department of Defense’s northernmost installation, has been renamed to recognize Greenlandic cultural heritage and better reflect its role in the U.S. Space Force.Following a

Arctic Defence:Operation NOBLE DEFENDER

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) sucessfully completed Operation NOBLE DEFENDER,a dynamic force employment operation,last month.It ran from 15-31 January 2023.The drills spanned multiple locations from Alaska to Greenland.Said NORAD and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) commander General Glen Van Herck,US Air Force: Operation NOBLE DEFENDER sucessfully demonstrated our willingness and capability to conduct operations above the Arctic Circle in even the harshest weather conditions,and proved a concept of integration with key Arctic partners to defend northern approaches to North America.* Locations of OND included Thule Air Base,Greenland;Iqaluit Forward Operating Location,Nunavut,Canada;5 Wing Goose Bay,Newfoundland and Labrador,Canada;and Eielson Air Force Base,Alaska.Some 225 US Forces and Canadian Forces personnel supported and operated a wide range of aircraft,including four F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters;three Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornets;four KC-135 refueling tankers;one RCAF Airbus CC-150 Polaris transport/refueling tanker;one E-3 Sentry AWACS;and one Canadian Forces AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant search and rescue helicopter.* OND marked an historic first-ever deployment of F-35As to Thule Air Base,Greenland,with the permission of NATO Ally the Kingdom of Denmark.* The drills culminated with CF-18 Hornets escorting a U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) B-52H Stratofortress strategic bomber posing as an adversary through Northern Canada and the Central US.The joint operation demonstrated collaboration and integration with mission partners to defend the entirety of our northern approaches and the necessity of force integration to the defence of North America.* In the course of OND,CF-18 Hornets from 3 Wing,Bagotville,Quebec took off from Iqaluit Airport in Nunavut.Special Operations Forces from U.S. Special Operations Command North parachuted out of a US Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter to a location off the Bering Sea.F-22 Raptors soared overhead and inflatable boats from Commander Naval Special Warfare Group One headed for shore.* OND is a recurring operation throughout the year,maintaining mission readiness in varied environments and preserving the capacity for follow-on operations,NORAD said.OND validates the command's capability to defend the US and Canada against threats from every avenue of approach to the continent.This is especilly relevant in light of Russia's Arctic buildup in recent years as they revamped Cold War bases and built new ones.China is also stepping up its Arctic military operations.*

Ocean Drills: Vigilant Osprey Hones Atlantic Defence

North Atlantic Allies Canada, Denmark and the US concluded Exercise Vigilant Osprey,a complex homeland defence operation,on 31 May 2020.Led by US Northern Command (NORTHCOM),, Vigilant Osprey advanced tactical and operational proficiency in high-end warfare in a bi-national,multi-domain exercise in the Atlantic Ocean.
Representing the US Navy was the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) and its Carrier Strike Group.The CSG is being kept at sea during its sustainment phase (ready for tasking) because of the COVID-19 threat.It has been deployed since November 2019.Nonetheless,it maintains a high level of readiness to support a full range of maritime operations for regional and national strategic objectives,as a flexible and lethal asset.Members of the CSG include Carrier Air Wing 1; Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60); and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Forrest Sherman (DDG 98).*
The Royal Canadian Navy provided afloat logistics support to the CSG, while frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec (FFH 332) took part in anti-submarine warfare and air defence drills with the CSG.Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora Long-Range Patrol aircraft made several overflights and also took part in the ASW exercise.*
Danish Joint Arctic Command in Nuuk, Greenland conducted a command post drill with Commander,U.S. 2nd Fleet (C2F),in which tactical and operational information was shared via Link 16 to improve mutual situational awareness.The drill ensured that such information could be shared in real time.Said Commander,U.S. 2nd Fleet VADM Andrew Lewis:
The Atlantic is a contested environment, and our partnerships strengthen our advantage and complicate adversary decision making.*
Explained MG Kim Jesper Jorgensen,Commander,JACO:
Danish Joint Arctic Command is responsible for the defense and security of the Arctic regions of the Danish Kingdom, including Greenland and the Faroe Islands...Iook forward to increasing the operational cooperation between U.S. 2nd Fleet and JACO.*

US,Danish Warships Exercise in the Arctic - revised

A US Navy and Royal Danish Navy warship have held drills near the Danish possession of Greenland,the largest island in the world.The PASSEX,or passing exercise,was conducted by the USS Gravely (DDG 107),an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer,and HDMS Absalon (L16),an Absalon-class command and support ship.At one point,a Royal Danish Navy Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk helicopter touched down aft on the Gravely.*
A PASSEX is a series of drills by two navies that ensures their ability to communicate and cooperate closely during a crisis.These may include close manoeuvres;flag-hoist drills;flashing light drills;and semaphore drills;as well as electronic communications and target acquisition drills.*
The USS Gravely has been conducting Arctic operations during an eight-month deployment.According to CDR Michael O'Reilly,commanding officer:
The exercise was a unique opportunity for Gravely to conduct training with the Danish navy and demonstrate interoperability in strategically important waters.*
Later in the deployment,crew members of the Gravely qualified on a machine gun while plying the Arctic waters.*

Thule Air Base:NATO's Arctic Nerve Centre - plus what the US intends to do there

According to the US Air Force,Thule Air Base,Greenland,is a combined US-Canadian-Danish and Greenlandic environment of about 550 military,civilian and contractor personnel.It is supported by the US Air Force Space Command's 821st Air Base Group,which enables force projection,space superiority,and scientific research in the Arctic Region for the US and its allies through integrated base support and defence operations.The 821st operates and maintains TAB in support of its missile warning and satellite command and control operations missions.The base's missions are executed by the 12th Space Warning Squadron and Detachment 1,23rd Space Operations Squadron.*
TAB provides a 10,000 foot runway that handles more than 3,000 US and international flights annually,as well as the world's northernmost deep water port,served by the Air Force's only tugboat and a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker.*
The 12th Space Warning Squadron operates the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System for NORAD.It detects and tracks ICBMs launched against North America.Detachment 1 is part of the 50th Space Wing's global satellite control network.*
Located 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle,above the aurora borealis,TAB hosts the 21st Space Wing's global network of sensors,thus providing missile warning,space surveillance and space control to NORAD and Air Force Space Command.It is a critical node of space situational awareness.For its part,Detachment 1 links ground stations and their satellites.
Among TAB's tenants are scientific organisations such as the National Science Foundation;NASA;the Smithsonian Institution;the Danish Technological Institute;the Danish Meteorological Institute;and the Arctic Institute.Their research topics include wildlife migration;climate change;and astrophysics.*
On 16 September 2018,USDP (Undersecretary of Defense for Policy) John Rood signed a Statement of Intent on Defense Investments in Greenland while on a visit to TAB:
This Statement of Intent lays out principles for investing in Greenland to enhance US military operational flexibility and situational awareness in order to address the changing security environment in the Arctic.In light of this development and in an effort to strengthen US and NATO capabilities,the US Department of Defense intends to pursue potential strategic investment vigorously,including investments that may serve dual military and civilian purposes.For example,the US Department of Defense intends to analyze and,where appropriate,strategically invest in projects related to the airport infrastructure in Greenland,including projects that may have dual civilian and military benefits.These investments would seek to enhance US and NATO capabilities in the North Atlantic region and would benefit the United States,the Kingdom of Denmark,and the people of Greenland.*
TAB is also critical for the support of Canada's remote Arctic outposts,Canadian Forces Station Alert,which is reportedly a SIGINT collection platform,and Eureka Research Station.Cargo for the brutal winter months is delivered to the stations from TAB in the biannual Operation Boxtop,involving an intensive flight schedule for Canadian transport aircraft and US Air Force air traffic controllers.*
Another recent mission at TAB involved Danish F-16 aircraft flights as part of ascertaining capability for search and rescue missions over Greenland and defining logistical requirements for potential future F-16 operations.*
Air Force Security Forces execute battle drills at TAB,thus tailoring training to a hands-on and mission-specific approach.