It’s a rivalry revived on the high seas. The Navy is reactivating the Second Fleet to patrol the northern Atlantic Ocean amid increased tensions with…
It’s a rivalry revived on the high seas.
The Navy is reactivating the Second Fleet to patrol the northern Atlantic Ocean amid increased tensions with Russia.
“The return to great power competition and a resurgent Russia demands that NATO refocus on the Atlantic to ensure dedicated reinforcement of the continent and demonstrate a capable and credible deterrence effect,” said Johnny Michael, a Pentagon spokesman.
The fleet will complement a new NATO command based in Norfolk, Virginia, which “will be the linchpin of trans-Atlantic security,” Michael said.
Russia has strengthened its patrols in the northern Atlantic Ocean, along with the Baltic Sea and the Arctic, according to NATO officials.
“We have seen a much more assertive Russia,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said earlier this year.
The Second Fleet will oversee ships, aircraft and landing forces patrolling the northern Atlantic and the East Coast. It also will conduct joint operations with NATO allies.
The Navy disbanded the Second Fleet seven years ago in an effort to cut costs.
But the Navy recommended reactivating the fleet in a study in the wake of two deadly ship collisions last year that killed a total of 17 sailors .
