Now being billed as the largest Navy exercise ever conducted in the Western Atlantic, FLEETEX wrapped up this week with 32 ships from 17 countries, said Adm. Doug Perry, head of both US 2nd Fleet and NATO Joint Forces Command Norfolk.
On Monday, the German frigate FGS Sachsen hosted Perry and Commodore Maryla Ingham of the British Royal Navy. The German ship hosts a large contingent of sailors from the United Kingdom.
“The fact that we have common tactics, techniques and procedures, and that's made it already seamless,” Ingham said. “I think it's just the scale and the complexity here that's been what's made it such a great exercise for us.”
Perry could be the last U.S. admiral to run the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance headquarters in Norfolk. He is leaving in September under a normal change of command. Joint Forces Command Norfolk was created in 2019, as Russia became more active in the region.
“JFC Norfolk started with 47 people when I got here two and a half years ago. We’ve got 450 people now. We're mission capable, and we are prepared to defend every centimeter, every inch of NATO territory,” Perry said.
NATO has been reshuffling its command structure since President Donald Trump threatened to annex Greenland last year.
“In the near future, I will turn over to a UK or a British four-star (officer)..so that's the shift that's ongoing,” Perry said.
The timing hasn’t been announced, but Norfolk is being turned over to a British commander for the first time since the command was stood up under the first Trump administration. The U.S. is taking over leadership of NATOs major commands for air, naval and land. Europeans will operate the commands that control specific regions. Norfolk has the largest region, controlling the Atlantic and the high north region including Greenland.
The separate command in Norfolk, NATO Allied Transformation Command will continue to be run by a French general.
The exercise in Hampton Roads wraps up in time for many of the same U.S. and allied ships to travel to New York City for the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution on July 4. The following week NATO will begin its annual summit in Turkey.
