KEFLAVIK, Iceland (Aug. 26, 2024) – U.S. Sailors and Marines join Iceland and NATO Allies to kick off U.S.-led Exercise Northern Viking 2024 (NV24) in Keflavik, Iceland, Aug. 26.
Participating at NV24 are the Denmark, France, Iceland, Norway, Poland, and the United States as well as components of Standing NATO Maritime Group One and Allied Maritime Command.
From Aug. 26 to Sept. 3, NV 24 will strengthen interoperability among NATO Allies through a variety of contingency situations including humanitarian crisis response caused by a simulated volcanic eruption and other training opportunities to further enhance safety and sustainment operations, expeditionary and construction capabilities, medical responses, and search and rescue, as well as humanitarian assistance.
“We are here to demonstrate the United States’ unwavering commitment to Iceland and the security and stability of the North Atlantic,” said United States Rear Adm. Patrick Hayden, Director, Logistics, Ordnance & Engineering for U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, U.S. 6th Fleet. “By exercising interoperability through air, land and sea integration among Iceland, the United States and our Allied nations are better postured and ready to collectively defend against any threats from potential adversaries.”
Through NV24, the U.S., Iceland and Allied nations are better prepared to execute in a multi-domain command and control of joint and coalition forces in the defense of Iceland and the sea lines of communication in the Greenland, Iceland, United Kingdom (GIUK) gap, a vital shipping hub for commerce between North America and Europe.
Northern Viking is a biannual exercise that has been held since 1982 and is based on the provisions of the 1951 Defense Agreement between Iceland and the United States.
U.S. European Command directed and U.S. Naval Forces Europe-led, NV24 is a U.S. Sixth Fleet planned and executed Joint and Coalition live exercise. U.S. Sixth Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts a full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with Allies, in order to advance security and stability in Europe and Africa.