COPENHAGEN: The arrival of a US aircraft carrier in Oslo has provided a significant opportunity for the Norwegian armed forces to enhance cooperation and strengthen ties with their “most important ally, the United States,” according to Norwegian officials.
The USS General Ford, described as the world’s largest aircraft carrier, entered the Oslo fjord on Wednesday, accompanied by an armed escort boat. Strict security measures were put in place, with a half-kilometer exclusion zone around the carrier and a no-fly zone established over the area.
The vessel’s historic visit was broadcast live on Norwegian public television, capturing the attention of onlookers who gathered along the fjord to witness the massive carrier glide through the waters and dock in the city of Oslo.
For Laila Wilhelmsen, a resident of the town of Droebak along the fjord, the sight of warships is a familiar one since her childhood during the Cold War in the 1950s. However, she expressed concern about the current situation, stating, “I don’t know, but now we have teased (Russian President Vladimir) Putin even more. It’s scary, I think.”
US Aircraft Carrier to Participate in Joint Drills with Norway’s Armed Forces
The USS Ford will remain in the Norwegian capital until Tuesday, after which it will participate in joint drills with the Norwegian armed forces.
The visit comes at a time of tense relations between Norway and Russia, particularly following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as the two countries share a border in the Arctic region spanning 198 kilometers.
The Russian Embassy in Oslo criticized the display of military power, deeming it “illogical and harmful.”
In early May, the US Navy announced that the USS Ford had embarked on its “first combat deployment” after a shorter deployment in autumn 2022.
The vessel, the first of the US Navy’s new Ford class of aircraft carriers, has a crew of approximately 2,600 sailors, which is 600 fewer than the previous generation of carriers.
