The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group sails in formation with NATO allied ships during an integrated sailing event during Neptune Strike, July 11, 2023. The ships sailing include the world’s largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), French Navy frigate FS Languedoc (D653), Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ramage (DDG 61), Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60), Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) and Italian guided-missile frigate ITS Carabiniere (F593).

The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group sails in formation with NATO allied ships during an integrated sailing event during Neptune Strike, July 11, 2023. The ships sailing include the world’s largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), French Navy frigate FS Languedoc (D653), Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ramage (DDG 61), Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60), Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) and Italian guided-missile frigate ITS Carabiniere (F593).

NORAD aircraft from the Canadian and continental U.S. regions intercept two B-1 Lancer bombers as they entered Air Defense Identification Zone off North America's east coast during air-defense Operation Noble Defender, June 26, 2023. NORAD units executed maneuvers designed to defend the eastern approach of North America from simulated cruise missile threats in this particular operation. CF-18 aircraft from the Canadian NORAD Region, F-15C and KC-135 aircraft from the Continental U.S. NORAD Region, and B-1s from U.S. Strategic Command all participated in the operation. NORAD conducts sustained and dispersed operations under OND to validate the missions of aerospace warning, aerospace control and maritime warning. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Bryan Hoover)

Swedish Jas 39 Gripens escort two U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers through Swedish airspace as they make their way to Luleå Kallax Air Base, Sweden, June 19, 2023. The bombers landed in Sweden for the first time ever as part of Bomber Task Force Europe 2023-3, a long-planned bomber rotation in support of U.S. European Command and NATO deterrence initiatives. This arrival of strategic bombers in Sweden highlights U.S. and Swedish cooperation and the ability of U.S. forces to seamlessly integrate with Allied and partner nations. (Courtesy photo by Flygvapnet/the Swedish air force)

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jose Borda, a CH-47F Chinook crew chief, assigned to 3rd Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division (1AD CAB), supervises as relief supplies are unloaded from his aircraft in Elbistan, Türkiye on Feb. 14, 2023. The 1AD CAB provides dynamic lift capability in direct support of USAID and Turkish relief efforts, to those affected by the earthquakes in Türkiye. Defense and disaster relief activities were just two of the topics covered during annual U.S.-Türkiye Combined Planning Committee (CPC) talks held at EUCOM headquarters June 13-15, 2023.

A U.S. Marine assigned to Task Force 61/2, begins to unload humanitarian aid at Serinyol, Türkiye, Feb. 25, 2023. At the request of the Turkish government, U.S. military personnel assigned to Task Force 61/2 and 39th Air Base Wing are tasked with building a field hospital for the citizens who were affected by the Feb. 6 earthquake. Task Force 61/2 (TF 61/2) is operating under U.S. Sixth Fleet, U.S. Naval Forces Europe (NAVEUR), and U.S. European Command as part of the International Turkish disaster relief efforts. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. James Bourgeois/Released)

Air Force Brig. Gen. Bryony Terrell, Deputy Director for EUCOM’s J5 Strategy, Plans and Capabilities Directorate (left) and Brig. Gen. Tansel Cokuysal, head of the Foreign Relations Department of the Turkish General Staff, (right) led their respective delegations during the annual U.S.-Turkiye Combined Planning Committee (CPC) talks held at EUCOM headquarters June 13-15, 2023.

U.S. Army Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander, U.S. European Command, co-hosted the two-day 2023 Chiefs of Defense Conference alongside Romanian Gen. Daniel Petrescu, Romanian Chief of Defense Staff, in Bucharest, Romania, from June 8-9, 2023.

U.S. Army Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander, U.S. European Command, co-hosted the two-day 2023 Central Europe Chiefs of Defense Conference alongside Romanian Gen. Daniel Petrescu, Romanian Chief of Defense Staff, in Bucharest, Romania, from June 8-9, 2023. During the event, leaders discussed logistics and support to Ukraine, combined operations, and intelligence sharing. It also provided a venue for leaders to strengthen military-to-military relationships toward solving complex, regional challenges.

From left, the Blue Ridge-class command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20), the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117), and Danish Navy Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate HDMS Peter Willemoes (F 362) depart Tallinn, Estonia, June 4, 2023, to participate in Baltic Operations 2023. BALTOPS 23 is the premier maritime-focused exercise in the Baltic Region. The exercise, led by U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, and executed by Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO, provides a unique training opportunity to strengthen combined response capabilities critical to preserving freedom of navigation and security in the Baltic Sea. (Courtesy photo by Sgt. Martti Kallas, Estonian Defence Forces)

(From left) French Navy FREMM frigate FS Bretagne, U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78), and Italian Navy Carlo Bergamini-class FREMM frigate ITS Carlo Margottini (D 592) sail together while underway in support of exercise Formidable Shield 2023 onMay 10, 2023. Formidable Shield is a biennial integrated air and missile defense exercise involving a series of live-fire events against subsonic, supersonic, and ballistic targets, incorporating multiple Allied ships, aircraft, and ground forces working across battlespaces.

U.S. Marines fire rockets from two M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System during Formidable Shield in Andoya, Norway, on May 10, 2023. Formidable Shield is a biennial, integrated air and missile defense exercise involving a series of live-fire events against subsonic, supersonic, and ballistic targets, incorporating multiple Allied ships, aircraft, and ground forces working across battlespaces.

As seen from on board HMS Defender, NATO ships sail in formation below a French Air Force fly-over during Formidable Shield 2023 in the North Atlantic on May 15, 2023. Formidable Shield is a NATO joint exercise with 2023 seeing allied fleets working together in the North Atlantic from the United States, Canada, France, Netherlands, Italy and the UK.

A B-1B Lancer conducts a low approach flyby over Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on May 30, 2023, as part of a long-planned Bomber Task Force 23-3 mission. The mission ensures the U.S. and its Allies are ready and postured to deter threats and respond to aggression if needed. (DoD photo by Adnan Bujak, U.S. Embassy Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Airmen with the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron prepare the B-1B Lancer for take-off at Royal Air Force Fairford, U.K., on May. 30, 2023. The mission, as part of Bomber Task Force 23-3, ensures the U.S. and its Allies are ready and postured to deter threats and respond to aggression if needed. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Josiah Brown)

Members of a U.S. Army Special Operations Joint Terminal Attack Controller team demonstrate to U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Michael Murphy how the JTACs communicate with B1-B Lancers during a training bomber support mission flyover near Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on May 30, 2023. The mission, as part of Bomber Task Force 23-3, ensures the U.S. and its Allies are ready and postured to deter threats and respond to aggression if needed. (DoD photo by Adnan Bujak, U.S. Embassy Bosnia and Herzegovina)

A Norwegian F-35 Lightning II receives fuel from a MAINEiac KC-135 Stratotanker above the Arctic Circle, May 29, 2023. The crews are taking part in Arctic Challenge Exercise 2023, a live fly exercise that serves to advance arctic security initiatives and enhance interoperability in the increasingly dynamic and contested region.

U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors participate in joint training with Romanian and Italian Air Forces over Câmpia Turzii, May 23, 2023. U.S. Air Force fifth-generation fighters supporting NATO Allied Air Command’s Air Shielding mission along the Eastern Flank.

U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors participate in joint training with Romanian and Italian Air Forces over Câmpia Turzii, May 23, 2023. U.S. Air Force fifth-generation fighters supporting NATO Allied Air Command’s Air Shielding mission along the Eastern Flank. (Courtesy Photo)

U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors participate in joint training with Romanian and Italian Air Forces over Câmpia Turzii, May 23, 2023. U.S. Air Force fifth-generation fighters supporting NATO Allied Air Command’s Air Shielding mission along the Eastern Flank.

U.S. European Command’s Air Force foreign area officers participate in the first Air Force EUCOM FAO Symposium on May 19, 2023, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Forty-nine FAOs from around the world participated in person and virtually in the full day of academic discussions, professional development and innovative collaboration workshops. (Courtesy photo)

Three Norwegian military helicopters perform a fly-by of the flagship USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) as the ship transits the Oslo fjord for its first port call in Oslo, Norway, on May 24, 2023. Gerald R. Ford is the U.S. Navy's newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, and the first U.S. aircraft carrier to pull into Norway in more than 65 years.

Norwegian air and naval escorts guide the flagship USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) through the Oslo fjord for its first port call in Oslo, Norway, on May 24, 2023. Gerald R. Ford is the U.S. Navy's newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, and the first U.S. aircraft carrier to pull into Norway in more than 65 years.

U.S. European Command’s Air Force foreign area officers participate in the first Air Force EUCOM FAO Symposium on May 19, 2023, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Forty-nine FAOs from around the world participated in person and virtually in the full day of academic discussions, professional development and innovative collaboration workshops. (Courtesy photo)

Lithuanian defense officials hosted a U.S. European Command delegation in Vilnius, Lithuania, from May 18-19, 2023, for a bilateral engagement to discuss security cooperation, plans and support to Ukraine.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79) stations during a photo exercise in support of exercise Formidable Shield 2023 while operating in the North Atlantic Ocean on May 15, 2023. On May 8, 2023, the U.S. Ambassador to Spain, Julissa Reynoso, signed in Madrid on behalf of President Biden the enhancement of the Defense Cooperation Agreement with the Kingdom of Spain to increase the U.S. Navy’s presence at Rota Naval Base, Spain, from four Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers to six.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt arrives at Naval Station Rota as part of its homeport shift April 19, 2020. Named in honor of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor, Roosevelt will be the first Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer stationed in Rota, providing the ability to deploy with two embarked Lamps MK III MH-60B Sea Hawk helicopters.

Brig. Gen. Mihail Iancu, deputy chief of the Department of Defense Policy, Planning, and International Relations, led the Romanian delegation to include Romania's Senior National Representative to U.S. European Command, Col. Gabriel Rilladuring, during bilateral staff talks in Bucharest, Romania, on May 3, 2023.

Romanian State Secretary Simona Cojocaru provides opening remarks for the inaugural Moldova Security Assistance Roundtable in Bucharest, Romania, on May 4, 2023. The roundtable included discussions with Moldovan counterparts on the topics of strategy, planning and defense modernization.

The U.S. and Romanian delegations discussed U.S. European Command's country plan for Romania, and how it supports Romania's attainment of NATO capability targets and long-term program management, during staff talks in Bucharest, Romania, on May 3, 2023.

Romanian Maj. Gen. Remus Bondor, chief of strategic planning directorate for the Romania Defense Staff, and U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Edward Vaughan, U.S. European Command’s deputy director for plans, strategy and capabilities, discuss security cooperation and support to Allies during bilateral staff talks in Bucharest, Romania, on May 3, 2023.

U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Edward Vaughan, U.S. European Command’s deputy director for plans, strategy and capabilities, and Romanian Maj. Gen. Remus Bondor, chief of strategic planning directorate for the Romania Defense Staff, discuss security cooperation and support to Allies during bilateral staff talks in Bucharest, Romania, on May 3, 2023.

U.S. Army Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, Commander, U.S. European Command, delivers testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2024 in Washington, D.C., April 27, 2023. (DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Alexander Kubitza)

U.S. Marines with 3rd Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, fire an FGM-148 Javelin during a live-fire range while deployed with Marine Rotational Forces Europe (MRF-E) 23.1 in Setermoen, Norway, April 2, 2023. MRF-E focuses on regional engagements throughout Europe by conducting various exercises, mountain warfare training, and military-to-military engagements which enhance overall interoperability of the U.S. Marine Corps with allies and partners. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Megan Ozaki)

Fifty senior military leaders from 11 nations participated in the annual Arctic Security Forces Roundtable held April 25-27, 2023, in Turku, Finland. (Courtesy photo by Finnish Defence Forces)

Arctic Security Forces Roundtable co-chairs, from left, Norwegian Navy Rear Adm. Solveig Krey of the Norwegian Defence Staff and U.S. European Command's Air Force Maj. Gen. Daniel Lasica, joined Finnish Defence Forces Army Maj. Gen. Janne Jaakkola in leading discussions during the annual strategic forum April 25-27, 2023, in Finland's oldest city, Turku. (Courtesy photo by Finnish Defence Forces)

Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, commander, U.S. European Command, delivered the 2023 Posture Statement to the House Armed Services Committee April 26, 2023, and to the Senate Armed Services Committee April 27, 2023.

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Dylan Knox and Latvian National Guard Sgt. Maj. Arvis Solims share a joke between games during a military hockey event April 22, 2023, at the Valmieras Olimpiskais Centrs in Valmiera, Latvia. Military hockey teams from Latvia, Canada and the United States participated in the friendly competition as part of the Stronger Together Hockey Exhibition, a series of military hockey events that, through a shared love for hockey, strengthens partnerships and contributes to solidarity and interoperability in deterring aggression along NATO’s eastern flank. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Sgt. Daryl T. Madrid)

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Pierce, assigned to U.S. Special Operations Command Europe, works the puck closer to the Latvian goal as Latvian players attempt to defend it. Military hockey teams from Latvia, Canada and the United States participated in a friendly competition held April 22, 2023, in Valmiera, Latvia. The games were part of the Stronger Together Hockey Exhibition, a series of military hockey events that, through a shared love for hockey, strengthens partnerships and contributes to solidarity and interoperability in deterring aggression along NATO’s eastern flank. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Sgt. Daryl T. Madrid)