Complex Air Exercise by NATO Nordic Partners,Allies Imminent

Arctic Challenge Exercise 2017 will soon be underway in Finland,Norway and Sweden.From 22 May to 2 June 2017,more than 100 aircraft and thousands of troops will stage the drills,which are held every two years.The core bases for the war games are Bodo,Norway;Lulea,Sweden;and Rovaniemi,Finland.This third iteration of the exercise is a project of the Nordic Defence Cooperation organisation (NORDEFCO).It aims to improve the capability of multinational forces to participate in combined air operations for the purpose of crisis management.ACE 17 will facilitate training for large-scale planning and implementation of air operations in an authentic operating environment,involving a wide range of aircraft and forces of modern air warfighting.*
Besides the three host nations,air forces from NATO Allies the Netherlands;Belgium;UK;Canada;France;Germany;and US will participate,along with Switzerland.They will send the following types of aircraft:multi-role fighters;transport and liaison;aerial refuelling tankers;EW aircraft;AWACS;transport and SAR helicopters,accompanied by ground troops and ground-based air defence units.*
Norway is the only country that is currently both a NATO ally and NORDEFCO member.*
For the first time,US Air Force Global Strike Command B-52H Stratofortress strategic bombers will take part in the drills.They will be part of a single mission at the end of ACE 17 and will not land at the Nordic bases.As well,some of the exercise aircraft will be deployed from their home bases beyond the actual training area.It is also notable that the aircraft types and numbers are subject to change.*
The exercise points up the growing closeness of NATO and NORDEFCO.It also highlights the increasing significance of the Arctic.

Air Sovereignty in High Arctic Tested by US,Canadian Forces in NORAD Exercise

The Canadian Armed Forces and US Air National Guard are deploying and conducting air sovereignty operations in the far north and high Arctic during NORAD Exercise VIGILANT SHIELD 17,the bi-national organisation says.This is to demonstrate their joint capacity to detect,identify and meet possible threats in some of the Earth's most austere regions.Aircraft and personnel from the two countries will operate and support each other successfully at multiple forward operating locations,a key goal of VIGILANT SHIELD 17,according to Major Tristan McKee,Canadian Detachment Commander in Yellowknife,Northwest Territories.*
Those deployed to Yellowknife,NT are the F-15 Eagles and personnel of 142nd Fighter Wing,US Air National Guard,Portland,Oregon,with Canadian personnel and equipment primarily from 4 Wing Cold Lake,Alberta.The annual drills are a forum for NORAD to practice deploying to a variety of locations across vast distances,yet still support and achieve a complex set of missions and objectives.Other locations of the exercise include 5 Wing Goose Bay,Inuvik,Northwest Territories and Canadian Forces Station Alert,Nunavut.VIGILANT SHIELD 17 runs from 17-21 October 2016.*
Among the deployed assets in the drills are:CF-18 Hornet;CH-149 Cormorant;CC-130H Hercules;F-15 Eagle;F-22 Raptor;E-3 Sentry;KC-135 (USAF) Stratotanker with hundreds of maintainers and other aviation support personnel,as well as Canadian Army security forces.*
NORAD,the North American Aerospace Defense Command,is the bi-national command providing aerospace warning;aerospace control;and maritime warning in defence of North America.

Deterring the Changing Threats

We need to update our deterrence and response model to Russia's hybrid threat,said General Joseph Dunford,USMC,before the Senate Armed Services Committee at his confirmation hearing last month.I think rotational forces are envisioned,along with prepositioning equipment and infrastructure.Quite frankly,I think that kind of threat is one we're going to face in the future-the idea of deterrence to the changing threats we face.
Russia is not just threatening;they are actually doing it.My assessment today is that Russia presents the greatest threat to our national security.It is a nuclear power that could pose an existential threat to the United States,and their recent acts are nothing short of alarming.I also think it's important to maintain a military-to-military relationship with them to prevent the chance of miscalculation.
Russia is aggressively moving military forces into the Arctic-we need a plan,noted Senator Dan Sullivan,R-Arkansas.
We will in fact develop an appropriate role for the military in support of our political and military goals for the Arctic,General Dunford promised.
Modernising our nuclear deterrence is the nation's top military priority.I think we need to think about how we are going to fund it,as opposed to whether we are going to do it,in that we face a nation that is an existential threat.The Ohio-class submarine is the most survivable part of the nuclear deterrence triad,and critical to modernise.*
With regard to Iran's current activities and support of activities,Iran is one of he most destabilising influences in the region today.They're exacerbating the Sunni-Shia divide.From my perspective,they have provided support to the Taliban in Afghanistan versus ISIL.The Shia militants in Iraq could be a malign influence and certainly we shouldn't provide any support to them.My expectation is,Iran will continue the malign activity across the Middle East that we have seen in recent years.My understanding is,we have the military capacity to destroy Iran's nuclear program.I'll make sure that our leadership has a full range of military options for dealing with Iranian military activity.We have both the plans and the capacity in place to deal with a wide range of contingencies in Iran.
Iran with a nuclear weapon would be a significant threat to the homeland,especially with a ballistic missile,and would be destabilising in the region,causing a nuclear arms race.
In Iraq,there's no question in my mind that retaking Ramadi from ISIL is a strategic action.I've got both a personal and professional stake in Anbar Province,having lived there for years.*
China's military capability and presence in the Pacific are an area of concern,as distinct from a threat.There's no question about our rebalance to the Pacific.We have an unprecedented number of exercises in the Pacific.The rebalance is aimed at modernising our presence,explained General Dunford,recently confirmed by the Senate as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.He will be sworn in next month.