A US aircraft carrier arrived in Oslo on Wednesday, with the Norwegian armed forces stating that it affords them the "distinct opportunity to advance cooperation and work more closely with our most important ally, the United States."
The nuclear-powered USS Gerald R. Ford entered the Oslo fjord escorted by a speedboat with armed personnel on board.
US Aircraft Carrier Arrives in Oslo
The Norwegian armed forces have instructed all vessels to maintain a half-mile distance from the aircraft carrier and a no-fly zone was established over the area where the aircraft carrier was located.
The vessel, described as the world's largest aircraft carrier, will remain in the Norwegian capital until Tuesday. It is then expected to participate in Arctic exercises with the Norwegian armed forces, as per Fox News.
The first international contact of the ship was transmitted live on Norwegian public television. Spectators, some with binoculars, were observed on land as a large aircraft carrier glided deeper and deeper into the fjord and eventually reached Oslo.
Laila Wilhelmsen, who stood along the route in Droebak, stated that she grew up in the small hamlet during the 1950s Cold War, and "there were always vessels here."
Jonas Gahr Stre, the prime minister of the Scandinavian nation, told Norway's NTB news agency that there will be "predictable reactions from Russia" and that Oslo is "continuing the position we have had in recent years of desiring allied exercises in Norwegian waters."
The profundity of the 76-meter (250-foot) tall vessel was "the biggest challenge," according to the Norwegian Coastal Administration. The administration stated that the aircraft carrier remains just within the utmost depth allowed by sailing regulations for the Oslo fjord.
The aircraft carrier anchored off the island of Ormoeya in the inner Oslofjord on Wednesday evening. Beginning in early May, the US Navy announced that the ship had left Norfolk, Virginia, for its "first combat deployment," following a two-month deployment in the fall of 2022.
The vessel is the first aircraft carrier of the US Navy's new Ford class. Two additional Ford-class aircraft carriers are being built. Per ABC News, the ship can accommodate approximately 2,600 sailors, 600 less than the previous generation of aircraft carriers.
Russia Fumes at US-Norway Drills
Meanwhile, Russia's embassy in Norway harshly criticized a planned visit by a US aircraft carrier to Oslo as an "illogical and harmful" show of force. The 337-meter (1,106-foot) USS Gerald R. Ford is scheduled to dock in the Norwegian capital this week.
"There are no issues in the North that require a military solution, nor issues that require outside intervention," Russian embassy spokesman Timur Chekanov told AFP by email.
The first-in-class aircraft carrier is a nuclear-powered ship with more than 100,000 tons of displacement. The US Navy announced in early May that the ship had departed Norfolk on its "first combat deployment," following a shorter two-month deployment in the autumn of 2022.
"The fact that a new aircraft carrier is now making its first visit to Norwegian waters is very positive for our cooperation with the Americans," Norwegian Defence Minister Bjorn Arild Gram said while on a visit to the massive warship.
Relations between NATO member Norway and Russia -- with which the Scandinavian country shares a border in the Far North -- have deteriorated sharply in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.
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