U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and the Norwegian Defence Staff today concluded two days of high-level meetings in Oslo, Norway, focused on near and long term security cooperation, particularity in the Arctic and High North.
The bilateral staff talks were led by Norwegian Defence Staff’s deputy chief of staff for operations, Maj. Gen. Tonje Skinnarland, and USEUCOM’s deputy director for security cooperation, policy, partnering and space capabilities, U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Edward Vaughan.
In his opening remarks, Vaughan spoke to the strategic importance and mutual respect of the U.S.-Norwegian military relationship, which has spanned more than 75 years. “Together, our shared and resolute commitment to freedom, peace and stability, especially in the High North,” he said, “continues to underpin our readiness and security cooperation.”
Quoting legendary Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, the first person to reach the geographic South Pole and recipient of the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal, Vaughn added, “Victory awaits him who has everything in order – luck (as some) people call it.”
Norwegian and U.S. subject matter experts discussed a wide array of defense-related topics, ranging from planned exercises and training in the Arctic’s extreme cold environment, to participation as founding members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), to strategic initiatives like Bomber Task Force and the Arctic Security Forces Roundtable.
Skinnarland highlighted the upcoming Exercise Cold Response 2022, scheduled for March and April in Norway and adjacent airspace and waters. ”Exercises like Cold Response clearly illustrate the unmatched cooperation and capability that exist between our two militaries,” she said. “And, training side by side in some of the most demanding weather and terrain on planet Earth only increases our collective military readiness.”
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U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) is responsible for U.S. military operations across Europe, portions of Asia and the Middle East, the Arctic and Atlantic Ocean. USEUCOM is comprised of more than 65,000 permanent military personnel supported by rotational forces and DoD civilians working closely with NATO Allies and partners. The command is one of two U.S. forward-deployed geographic combatant commands headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. For more information about USEUCOM, visit https://www.eucom.mil.
