US Navy looks to re-establish North Atlantic fleet

The US Navy (USN) will re-establish its Second Fleet to conduct maritime operations in the North Atlantic, in a move that could be interpreted as intended to counter Russian naval movements.

In a release issued by the US Navy on 4 May, it was revealed that the fleet will exercise operational and administrative authorities over assigned ships, aircraft and landing forces on the US’ east coast and northern Atlantic Ocean.

‘Our National Defence Strategy makes clear that we’re back in an era of great power competition as the security environment continues to grow more challenging and complex,’ said USN chief of naval operations, Adm John Richardson. 

‘That’s why today, we’re standing up Second Fleet to address these changes, particularly in the North Atlantic.’

Second Fleet was disestablished in 2011 and many of its personnel, assets and responsibilities were merged into US Fleet Forces.

Meanwhile the US DoD announced on 4 May that it had officially offered to host the proposed NATO Joint Force Command (JFC) for the Atlantic at its naval facilities in Norfolk, Virginia. The naval base is the largest such facility in the world, hosting dozens of warships and support vessels.

The DoD said that JFC-Norfolk would ‘ensure that NATO can successfully conduct operations across the full spectrum of alliance missions in the trans-Atlantic region’.

A decision of the final location of the facility will be made in the summer.