Brunssum, The Netherlands – NATO concluded one of its premier enhanced Vigilance Activities, NEPTUNE STRIKE (NEST) 24-2, on 31st October, 2024.
At the moment, there are no specific threats to these forces, but we are always preparing to be able to counter any threat that could emerge
In total, approximately 20 surface vessels and submarines, Special Forces and numerous aircraft participated in NEST 24-2, with some 15.000 supporting personnel from 22 Allied nations.
Starting on 24th October, NEST 24-2 demonstrated the complex integration of joint high-end maritime strike capabilities. NATO took operational command and control of multiple aircraft carriers and expeditionary strike groups in support of deterrence and defence of the Alliance.
In the North Sea, NEST 24-2 activities featured the USS Harry S Truman Carrier Strike Group, as well as the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince Of Wales and her escorts for parts of the activity. In the Mediterranean, NEST 24-2 staff elements from Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) were embarked on the command and control vessel USS Mount Whitney to demonstrate the ability to deploy a self-sufficient mobile command element anywhere, at any time. The multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Wasp, along with the dock landing ship USS Oak Hill, carried an Amphibious Ready Group and the embarked 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The Turkish Navy supported with the amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu and her embarked Marine Battalion, as well as her escorts. The Italian Navy provided the aircraft carrier ITS Cavour and her escorts for parts of the activity.
Numerous activities were carried out during NEST 24-2. F-18 Fighter Jets from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman sailing in the North Sea carried out missions together with the Swedish Air Force and the Lithuanian Navy in the Baltic Sea. Other fighter jets from USS Truman carried out sorties across the whole European continent to locations as far away as Romania, exercising numerous air-to-air-refuelling manoeuvres on the way.
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The main objectives for NEST 24-2 were to maintain freedom of navigation and manoeuvre in NATO’s area of operations, to secure strategic maritime chokepoints, to conduct deterrence and vigilance, and to increase interoperability across operational domains (e.g. air-land-integration), all designed to foster NATO’s capabilities to enable wide-reaching, multi-domain operations.
To that end, Royal Danish Navy Mine Divers trained carrying out explosive ordnance disposal in the Danish Straits, keeping this gateway to NATO’s Eastern Flank in the Baltic Sea Region open for Allied and international shipping. US vessels also practiced defence against drones in these waters.
Operating in the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas, US and Turkish Amphibious Forces carried out amphibious landing operations on the Albanian coast. Air-to-ground actions were conducted at several locations along NATO’s Eastern Flank to assure all Allied nations that the Alliance is ready and capable to protect every inch of NATO territory.
“NEST is not designed to strike a particular threat or a particular country. It is designed to integrate and improve capabilities throughout the force, to create integration and interoperability,” said US Vice Admiral Jeffrey T. Anderson, Commander of STRIKFORNATO and Commander, US Sixth Fleet, on board USS Mt. Whitney. “At the moment, there are no specific threats to these forces, but we are always preparing to be able to counter any threat that could emerge.”
NEST 24-2 was led by STRIKFORNATO. It is a long-planned activity conducted in compliance with international laws and standards, and scheduled independently from any current developments. It is defensive in nature and not directed towards any third party.
Peacetime Vigilance Activities such as NEST have become ingrained in NATO’s operational routine, delivering effects across sea, air, and land domains to provide deterrence and reassurance while enhancing Allied connectivity in multiple joint operational areas across Europe.
The Neptune Strike series is part of Project Neptune, conceptualized in 2020. It aims to enhance the pace and flexibility of command and control of naval strike and amphibious forces. It provides the blueprint for integrating multinational strike or maritime groups for contingency and defensive operations even over long distances.
