NORAD and Allied Forces Integrate Airpower During Operation ARCTIC VANGUARD

By Alaskan Command Public Affairs

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), Danish and NATO forces are conducting combined air defense training during Operation ARCTIC VANGUARD (OAV) 26-4.2, integrating fighters, aerial refueling and airborne command and control to strengthen the defense of North America’s northern approaches.

NORAD fighter aircraft are operating from Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, alongside aerial refueling and search and rescue aircraft operating from Bagotville, Québec. This combined activity extends to Keflavik, Iceland, where Royal Danish Air Force fighters and a CL-604 Challenger are participating in training scenarios and air activity alongside a French multirole tanker transport aircraft and NATO airborne warning and control aircraft.

Aircrews are planning and executing defensive counterair training missions focused on integrating allied fighters against advanced simulated air threats. The missions emphasize tactical data sharing and secure communications to exchange information and coordinate actions among participating forces.

This week, NORAD aircraft also joined Danish aircraft at Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, for ground refueling. Planners synchronized fighter arrivals from separate operating locations with tanker and airborne warning and control support while supporting aircraft remained overhead until the fighters were airborne – demonstrating the coordination required to sustain combined air operations across the Arctic.

“We welcome NORAD forces to the region and value the experience and capabilities they bring to our combined operations,” said Maj. Gen. Jan Dam, chief of the Royal Danish Air Force. “Operating together in the air and on the ground builds the trust and coordination we need to strengthen our shared security in the Arctic.”

Operation ARCTIC VANGUARD is a long-planned NORAD operation and part of a recurring series of Arctic operations to strengthen forward presence and defend North America’s northern approaches. While some iterations of Operation ARCTIC VANGUARD are led and conducted by U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), both NORAD and USNORTHCOM OAVs support the NORAD and USNORTHCOM Nordic Bridge concept, which aligns Arctic operations, exercises and training activities with those of NATO, individual nations, and regional partners.