USS Gerald R. Ford Joins NATO Neptune Strike

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) has steamed into the North Sea to take part in NATO’s Neptune Strike 2025.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) members are operating alongside the U.S. carrier in the High North this week as part of Neptune Strike 2025, a large multinational exercise focused on collective defense and rapid response. The deployment highlights integrated air operations, maritime patrols, and interoperability drills between the U.S. Navy and European partners in the North Sea region.

What the exercise looks like

Carrier air wing sorties, coordinated maritime patrols and joint command-and-control exercises are central to Neptune Strike 2025. The USS Gerald R. Ford—an advanced nuclear-powered aircraft carrier—has been conducting integrated flight operations with allied forces to stress-test procedures and communications across multiple platforms and nations.

Officials say these drills reinforce alliance readiness amid heightened regional security concerns. Participating units are practicing combined strike packages, search-and-rescue coordination and defensive operations over international waters in the High North.

• USS Gerald R. Ford is conducting carrier air wing sorties and interoperability training with NATO partners in the North Sea during Neptune Strike 2025.

The exercise brings together surface ships, submarines, patrol aircraft and carrier-based assets to validate joint tactics and strengthen rapid-response capabilities. While specific dates and unit lists have been limited publicly, Neptune Strike 2025 is framed as a multi-nation effort to ensure forces can operate seamlessly under stress.

For servicemembers and observers, the carrier’s presence signals a tangible show of collective defense. NATO and U.S. Navy statements emphasize routine training objectives: improving communications, synchronizing air and sea maneuvers, and sharpening decision-making in a complex maritime environment.

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