Along with Ice Camp Queenfish, a brief encampment constructed on a sheet of ice 160 nautical miles offshore, the train concerned two operational Navy quick assault submarines and a assist crew stationed in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.
“The Navy maintains a presence on, underneath and above Arctic waters, and it’s necessary that we proceed to coach on this difficult surroundings to not solely keep able to function right here, but in addition acquire effectivity and search for new methods to innovate,” stated Rear Adm. Richard Seif, commander of the Navy’s Undersea Warfighting Growth Heart in Groton, Connecticut, and rating officer at ICEX 2022.
“The Arctic is an unforgiving, quickly altering area. A number of chokepoints close to or above the Arctic Circle – such because the Bering Strait, Bear Hole between the Norwegian and Barents seas, and the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom Hole – are seeing will increase in industrial maritime exercise,” he continued. “By coaching on this excessive cold-weather surroundings, we’re greatest ready to quickly reply to any crises in these areas and guarantee frequent domains within the far north stay free and open.”
Becoming a member of the U.S. armed forces for ICEX 2022 had been personnel from the Royal Canadian Air Power and Navy, and the UK Royal Navy.
Throughout ICEX, collaborating quick assault submarines underneath the Arctic sea ice fired train torpedoes, which Navy divers then recovered from the frigid water. The train additionally supplied a possibility for Navy specialists and civilian scientists to conduct analysis from the floating ice camp, gathering knowledge on the Arctic situations and the way gear responds to the intense temperatures.
ICEX permits the Navy to evaluate its operational readiness within the Arctic, enhance expertise within the area, advance understanding of the Arctic surroundings, and proceed to develop relationships with different companies, allies and associate organizations.
ICEX 2022 is going down within the Arctic area similtaneously U.S. Northern Command’s Arctic Edge, a biennial train designed to offer practical and efficient coaching for members utilizing the premier coaching places out there all through Alaska, guaranteeing the power to quickly deploy and function within the Arctic. Arctic Edge takes place over the course of three weeks and could have roughly 1,000 members, together with U.S. and Canadian service members, U.S. Coast Guardsmen, and authorities workers from the U.S. Division of Protection and Canada’s Division of Nationwide Defence.
