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| Russia Panic, Nuclear Carrier USS Gerald R Ford US Heads to Norway! |
International Military - The United States Navy (US) nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford is scheduled to dock in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, this week. Russia was outraged by the plan, calling it an illogical and dangerous show of force.
The Russian Embassy in Norway on Tuesday (23/5/2023) expressed strong condemnation of the planned visit of the American aircraft carrier to Oslo. "There is no problem in the North Sea that requires a military solution, nor a problem that requires outside intervention," Russian Embassy spokesman Timur Chekanov told AFP by email.
Given Oslo's acknowledgment that Russia poses no direct military threat to Norway, such a show of force seems illogical and dangerous.
USS Gerald R Ford is a first class nuclear powered aircraft carrier with a displacement of over 100,000 tonnes. The US announced in early May that the ship had left Norfolk in its first combat deployment, following a shorter two-month deployment in the fall of 2022.
"The fact that the new aircraft carrier is now making its first visit to Norwegian waters is very positive for our cooperation with America," said Norwegian Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram.
The Commander of the US Navy's Sixth Fleet, Vice Admiral Thomas E Ishee, said the presence of the aircraft carrier was to prevent aggression against NATO members. Did not mention Russia in his comments. "What a great day to be aboard the Gerald R Ford with our Norwegian allies, enhancing US-Norway relations," said Ishee.
"I look forward to our joint operations on the northern side of NATO, which enhance interoperability, maintain freedom of navigation in international waters, deter aggression, and prepare us to defend our country and the alliance," he said.
Relations between Norway and Russia, which share a border in the Far North, have deteriorated sharply following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.