As Trump disparages NATO allies, they chase Russian subs in the Arctic

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Bergen, Norway — In the frigid waters disconnected the seashore of Norway, America's NATO allies scour the depths for clandestine Russian activity.

The agelong of ocean, viewed arsenic a gateway to the Arctic, is wherever Europe's precocious northbound meets the Russian precocious north, location to the Kremlin's Northern Fleet.

Nuclear-armed Russian submarines are dispatched regularly from the immense naval basal connected the country's freezing Kola peninsula, slipping silently beneath the waves earlier heading into the North Atlantic.

CBS News joined the unit of a NATO warship taking portion successful drills aimed astatine detecting, tracking and — if indispensable — taking retired these subs earlier they walk done the constrictive spread betwixt Greenland, Iceland and the U.K., and onward to the United States' eastbound seaboard.

If a warfare were to interruption retired betwixt Russia and the U.S. and its NATO allies, the country would go a strategical chokepoint.

Commanders spot Operation Arctic Dolphin — an workout involving ships, submarines and craft from Spain, Germany, France, the U.K. and galore different nations — arsenic indispensable to maintaining cohesion successful a subject confederation that has endured for 75 years.

"Norway has the large vantage of being a portion of specified a immense alliance," said Commodore Kyrre Haugen, commandant of the Norwegian Fleet overseeing Arctic Dolphin. "But each federation is taking vantage of being a portion of thing that is bigger than themselves."

The commandant said Norway has operated successful the Arctic since the Cold War, and the "special focus" connected the portion present highlights however important it is to the information of some Europe and the U.S.

"Those missiles tin onslaught Europe, tin onslaught America by being deployed successful the heavy seas, each into the Atlantic," helium said, referring to Russia's arsenal.

The NATO drill is conscionable 1 facet of a contention to unafraid a portion that has go a "front enactment for strategical competition," according to U.S. Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander successful Europe.

Russia's already utilizing the Arctic arsenic a investigating crushed for its hypersonic missiles, designed to evade U.S. aerial defenses.

But threats to determination stableness person besides emerged person to home.

President Trump angered NATO partners by repeatedly insisting the U.S. needed to instrumentality ownership of Greenland — and by threatening past period to enforce tariffs connected allies if they didn't comply.

He backed off that threat, announcing a still-vaguely defined "ultimate semipermanent deal" with America's NATO allies connected Greenland, but helium besides routinely lambasts those allies, accusing them of not spending capable connected their ain defense.

Undeniably, the confederation is playing catch-up successful the Arctic and the precocious north. Seven of the 8 Arctic states are NATO Allies. Yet Russia, with much than fractional the Arctic coastline successful its territory, has astir arsenic galore permanently-manned bases successful the portion arsenic each NATO members combined.

On the span of the Spanish frigate ESPS Almirante Juan de Borbon, the commandant defended to CBS News the publication to NATO by Spain, which Mr. Trump precocious accused of not being "loyal" to the alliance.

"I'm not going to excavation into governmental dynamics," said Rear Admiral Joaquín Ruiz Escagedo, earlier gesturing to the young naval officers engaged successful beforehand of maps and radar screens. "But I would accidental the publication of Spain, you tin spot here."

Escagedo said the state has "a batch of capabilities," and is committed to NATO's corporate defence principle.

"We cannot beryllium isolated. The powerfulness of NATO is the unity," helium said. "That's the occurrence of NATO for decades."

That unity is astir to beryllium tested with a caller mission.

NATO readying caller Arctic Sentry ngo for "enhanced vigilance" successful the acold north

A spokesperson for Gen. Grynkewich, NATO's American commandant successful Europe, confirmed to CBS News that readying is underway for a ngo successful the Arctic region.

Arctic Sentry volition beryllium an "enhanced vigilance enactment to adjacent further fortify NATO's posture successful the Arctic and High North."

The spokesperson told CBS News that readying for the caller ngo has "only conscionable begun, but details volition travel successful owed course."

The anticipation of an Arctic Sentry ngo was archetypal mentioned by Britain's apical diplomat past month, arsenic an constituent of the negotiations that resolved Mr. Trump's standoff with Europe implicit the destiny of Greenland.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the U.K. had projected moving "through NATO connected a caller Arctic sentry, which is akin to what we already person done NATO — a Baltic Sentry and an Eastern Sentry," referring to existing determination information partnerships among NATO allies.

"This is present going to beryllium a absorption of enactment done NATO, with antithetic Arctic countries coming unneurotic and supported by different NATO countries connected however we bash that shared security," she told CBS News' spouse web BBC News connected Jan. 22.

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