The United States sends the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman with its
combat group to the Mediterranean Sea. It comes amid fears that Russia
will invade Ukraine . The USS Harry S. Truman fighter group will join NATO
warships for a massive war game that will begin on Monday (1/24/2022).
Neptune Strike '22 drills, which have been planned since 2020, will cover
many countries. "Shows that the trans-Atlantic alliance is united, capable
and strong," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Friday.
The Pentagon's announcement comes as NATO's resolve is being tested. US
President Joe Biden on Wednesday raised doubts about the US and NATO
countries uniting in response to potential Russian aggression against
Ukraine.
"I think what you will see is that Russia will be held accountable if it
attacks," Biden said at a news conference.
"And it depends on what it does. It's one thing if it's a minor attack and
then we end up fighting about what to do and not to do, et cetera," he
said.
The "minor attack" comments sparked a concerned response from Ukraine and
sparked criticism that Biden was giving Putin an opportunity to strike —
or at least risk causing miscalculation among countries on the brink of
conflict.
As a show of NATO's unification, the USS Harry S. Truman fighter group
will sail under NATO control as the centerpiece of Neptune Strike '22.
This includes an aircraft carrier air wing with nine squadrons, four
guided missile destroyers, and a Ticonderoga-class cruiser that has been
in the Mediterranean on regular deployments.
Vice Admiral Gene Black, commander of the US Navy's 6th Fleet based in
Naples, Italy, will command the carrier. He has a "double-hat" role as
commander of the NATO assault and support forces.
Kirby said several NATO allies would participate in coordinated maritime
maneuvers, anti-submarine warfare training and long-range strike training.
However, Kirby did not name any other NATO member countries and suggested
asking the alliance.
"When we conduct large-scale exercises, some people participate in some
areas and not others based on their own demands and operational schedules,
and the capabilities they are trying to improve," Kirby said.
Exercises to show NATO solidarity will begin when Russia is ready "at any
moment" to launch an invasion of Ukraine, a former Soviet Union state.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded guarantees that Ukraine will
not be accepted into NATO as he amassed some 100,000 troops near Russia's
border with the country in recent months.
Biden warned on Wednesday that Russia would pay a "serious and heavy
price" for an invasion through sanctions imposed by the US and other
nations in the NATO alliance. His administration has not proposed using
military force to oust Russia if Putin gives the green light for the
invasion.
"We've had very honest discussions, Vladimir Putin and I, and the idea
that NATO is not going to unite, I don't agree with," Biden said. White
House spokeswoman Jen Psaki sought to clarify the president's previous
comments suggesting that a limited invasion by Russia could lead to
discord among allies.
"If any Russian military forces move across Ukraine's borders, it is a new
invasion, and it will be met with a swift, violent and united response
from the United States and our allies," he said.
