Joint Warrior multinational exercise kicks off in the Atlantic Ocean

The second phase of exercise Joint Warrior (JW) 20-2, a biannual, U.K.-led, multinational exercise, kicked off in the Atlantic Ocean on 3rd October.

JW 20-2 incorporates surface, subsurface, airborne, and land assets providing joint training in a multi-threat environment for NATO units, and a certification of Forward-Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF), preparing them to operate as part of a Combined/Joint Task Force.

“Joint Warrior is our premier venue for recertifying our ships for fleet operations, and the synergy with the Royal Navy could not be better,” said Capt. Joseph Gagliano, Commander, Task Force (CTF) 65. “We count on them to keep our ships ready, and they can always count on our commitment to security in this theater.”

Participating U.S. Navy assets are the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) and USS Ross (DDG 71), FDNF assigned to CTF 65 based in Rota, Spain; Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans (DDG 68), based out of Mayport, Florida and attached to the Queen Elizabeth carrier strike group; Military Sealift Command’s (MSC) Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Medgar Evers, assigned to CTF 63 and operating in the Commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations; and two P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and a reconnaissance aircraft (MPRA) from CTF 67, based in Sigonella, Italy. Participating U.S. Marine Corps assets participating are “The Wake Island Avengers” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211, eight F-35 Lightning aircraft, and a detachment from 2d Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company embarked aboard Queen Elizabeth.

28 ships, two submarines, 81 aircraft, and more than 6,000 service members from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the U.K., and the U.S. participate the exercise.

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