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Coast Guard's Joint Arctic Missions Support The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Campbell (WMEC 909) relieved the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma (WMEC 908) on Arctic patrol, August 23, 2020 near Greenland.
"I've been doing this for more than 33 years and thought I'd seen everything until I saw how positively this crew responded. There's nothing more humbling than being surrounded by such a great crew. Their families and friends should all be proud of them; that they accomplished something important and accomplished it with style. They represented themselves, their families, their Service, and their country as well as could ever be expected. The finest traditions of the Coast Guard are alive and well within the Tahoma crew," said Cmdr. Eric Johnson, commanding officer, Tahoma.
"The Coast Guard has been in the Arctic for over 150 years," said Capt. Thomas Crane, commanding officer, Campbell. "This signature exercise began in 2007. We are committed to enhancing our multinational capability to operate effectively in the dynamic Arctic domain, strengthening the rules-based order through the presence and joint efforts, and adapting to promote regional resilience and prosperity. We are proud to bring USCGC Campbell back to Greenland as the previous Campbell (W32) supported Coastal Operations in and around Greenland during World War II."
The Coast Guard is primarily supporting Nanook-Tuugalik, a defense readiness and security exercise, with multiple foreign partners off Northern Canada involving U.S. Navy 2nd Fleet, Royal Canadian navy and coast guard, the Danish navy, French navy, Royal Canadian air force, and multiple Canadian federal, state, local, and tribal agencies. This year crowns a decade of Operation Nanook. Tahoma and Campbell participated in Operation Argus, a three-day search and rescue exercise in Greenland's coastal search area with the Danish navy, French navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and Air Greenland. Campbell will also conduct exchanges, fisheries boardings to safeguard resources and protect domestic fisheries and serve as a platform for research and innovation.
"We continue to work with our allies and partners to ensure a safe, secure, and cooperative Arctic, even as our aspiring near-peer competitors maneuver for strategic advantage in the area," said Vice Adm. Steven Poulin, commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area. "We are leaning forward, and our persistent presence continues to counter those entities' efforts as the strategic value, economic, and scientific importance of the Arctic grows." Tahoma and Campbell's home port is the historic Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. Both cutters have a crew of roughly 100 who regularly patrol the Atlantic from Canada to the Caribbean. Like the other Famous-class cutters, they are designed and built for multi-mission operations, including law enforcement, search and rescue, marine environmental protection, and defense readiness. Coast Guard Gifts | Coast Guard | U.S. Department of Homeland Security |
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