NATO forces show off their hardware as ‘Operation Cold Response’ – NATO’s largest Arctic exercise for 30 years – continues in Russian-neighbour Norway

• NATO has sent 30,000 troops, 50 vessels and 200 aircraft to Norway, a country neighbouring Russia 
• Drill has taken place with Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales at centre of the naval task force 
• Cold Response will carry out a series of drills in the country that shares almost 200km of Russian land border 
• Norwegian armed forces said they gave ‘thorough information’ to Moscow to prevent ‘unnecessary conflict’

New images show NATO’s latest military hardware as 30,000 troops from 28 countries in Europe and North America train in Russia’s neighbour Norway.  

The Arctic exercise is NATO’s largest since the 1980s and began a week ago today. 

Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales has taken its place at the centre of the most powerful naval task forces in the world at the start of the drill, called Cold Response. 

Currently serving as the NATO Command Ship in 2022 for the alliance’s Maritime High Readiness Force, HMS Prince of Wales has sailed north to the Arctic off the shoes of Norway to begin the bi-annual exercise.

The pilot of a Norwegian F-35 fighter jet waves as he is pictured through a window of a NATO Airbus A330 aircraft refuelling tanker during NATO exercise ‘Cold Response’ over Norway

Landing craft from Royal Netherlands Navy, carrying Amphibious ATV Snowcats with US soldiers from the 3rd Battalion

US soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, part of the 6th Marine Regiment, prepare their Amphibious ATV Snowcats as they participates in the international military exercise Cold Response 22

Norwegian F-35 fighter jets during NATO exercise ‘Cold Response’ today

This photograph taken through a window of a NATO Airbus A330 aircraft refuelling tanker shows a Norwegian F-35 fighter jet during NATO exercise ‘Cold Response’ over Norway today

It is a month-long test of allied forces which will bring together tens of thousands of troops and is the largest exercise of its type in more than 30 years.

Led by Rear Admiral Mike Utley CB OBE, who is part of the Commander UK Strike Force, is acting as NATO Maritime Component Commander of the NATO Readiness Force. 

The Task Group on board HMS Prince of Wales will operate in the harsh, cold weather environment with allies and partners from across NATO, including aircraft carriers ITS Garibaldi from Italy and FX Dixmude from France. 

NATO member Norway shares nearly 200km (124 miles) of land border with Russia, and Cold Response is being held just a few hundred kilometres from the Russian border, as Vladimir Putin’s forces continue to wage war in Ukraine. 

Around 35,000 troops, 200 aircraft and 50 vessels are involved in Cold Response, including roughly 900 Royal Marines who will spearhead the UK involvement.

They will raid along the jagged Norwegian coastline from an amphibious task group led by HMS Albion.

A Norwegian F-35 fighter jet photographed in action during today’s NATO exercise ‘Cold Response’ over Norway

Cold Response is a Norwegian-led winter exercise in which NATO and partner countries participate.

Military vehicles are deployed from landing craft of the Royal Netherlands Navy, as they participate in the international military exercise Cold Response

Landing craft from Royal Netherlands Navy, carrying military vehicles, approaches the shore

A Swedish Grippen fighter jet is pictured during NATO exercise ‘Cold Response’ over Norway

Aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales will also take part and will be joined by frigate HMS Richmond, Type 45 destroyer HMS Defender, a Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker and a nuclear-powered attack submarine escorting her.

Four U.S. Marines were killed when their Osprey aircraft crashed in a Norwegian town in the Arctic Circle during a NATO exercise unrelated to Russia’s war in Ukraine, authorities said on Saturday.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere tweeted that they died in the crash on Friday night. The cause was under investigation, but Norwegian police reported bad weather in the area.

The Marines, assigned to 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force, were taking part in a NATO exercise called Cold Response.

The U.S. says the identities of the Marines wouldn’t be immediately provided in keeping with U.S. Defense Department policy of notifying relatives.

US soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, part of the 6th Marine Regiment participate in Cold Response in Norway

A US soldier from the 3rd Battalion, part of the 6th Marine Regiment, participates in the international military exercise Cold Response 22

US soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, part of the 6th Marine Regiment participate in the international military exercise Cold Response 22

The aircraft was an MV-22B Osprey. It ‘had a crew of four and was out on a training mission in Nordland County’ in northern Norway, the country’s armed forces said in a statement.

It was on its way north to Bodoe, where it was scheduled to land just before 6 p.m. Friday. The Osprey crashed in Graetaedalen in Beiarn, south of Bodoe. Police said a search and rescue mission was launched immediately. At 1:30 a.m. Saturday, the police arrived at the scene and confirmed that the crew of four had died.

The Cold Response drill includes around 30,000 troops, 220 aircraft and 50 vessels from 27 countries. Non-NATO members Finland and Sweden are also participating. The exercises began on March 14 and end on April 1.

No cause was given for the crash, but the Norwegian armed forces said that Cold Response ‘will carry on as planned, with the measures we have to take due to the weather.’

A Norwegian rescue helicopter spotted the crash site late Friday and local Red Cross crews were assigned to assist police on the ground, Norwegian media said.

Norwegian newspaper VG said Red Cross members drove close to the crash site with scooters and marked the trail with GPS for police in what they described as extremely difficult weather conditions early Saturday.

A US soldier practices his aim during NATO’s Cold Response exercise

US Soldier patrol the beach in northern Norway as part of the NATO exercise

A US soldier practices a stake out during Cold Response 22 in Norway

US soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, part of the 6th Marine Regiment participate in the international military exercise Cold Response 22

‘It was a special night, it was a real storm. There were five of us driving towards the scene of the accident. There was one meter of visibility, snow and storm in the mountains, ‘ Red Cross team leader Oerjan Kristensen told VG. ‘I guess it was a wind gust of 30-40 meters per second. When it blows like that, it is difficult to stand upright.’

Kristensen added that the rescue operation is being hampered by the risk of landslides in the mountains, and the remoteness of the crash site.

Police launched an investigation into the crash and accident commission members and police representatives were due to arrive at the crash site on Saturday.

‘The weather is very bad in the area to complete work at the scene, but police will take it up again as soon as the weather conditions allow it,’ operations manager Ivar Bo Nilsson from the Norland police district told reporters.

Lt. Gen. Yngve Odlo, head of the Norwegian Armed Forces’ operational headquarters, said that Cold Response would continue despite the crash.

‘Right now there is full focus on ending the rescue operation, taking care of the people and then there will be a normal procedure with causation,’ Odlo was quoted as saying by Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.

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