NATO drills off the U.S. coast brought allied maritime forces into U.S.-hosted exercises near North Carolina in late June, even as the Trump administration pressed European allies over defense spending, Iran policy and the future role of U.S. forces in Europe.
NATO Drills Off North Carolina
Ships from 17 allied and partner nations arrived at Naval Station Norfolk on June 14-15 for Fleet Exercise 250, with the multinational exercise beginning June 16 in Hampton Roads and the Atlantic Ocean, the U.S. Navy said.
The Navy said FLEETEX 250 brought together 31 warships, multinational aircraft and crews for anti-air, anti-submarine and amphibious operations. The exercise included a harbor phase from June 16-21 and an at-sea phase from June 22-29.
The participating nations included Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Senegal, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Reuters observed a NATO maritime drill about 40 nautical miles off the North Carolina coast involving Standing NATO Maritime Group One, a force commanded by British Commodore Maryla Ingham and including frigates from Norway, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Turkey.
FLEETEX 250 Tested Allied Maritime Operations
The exercises included simulated boarding operations, amphibious drills and anti-submarine warfare. A Norwegian naval boarding party from the frigate Fridtjof Nansen returned to the ship after a maritime drill between the U.S. and NATO allies off North Carolina on June 26.
Norwegian commander Stian Buunk said the frigate conducted anti-air warfare training with F-18s and drones, while another drill involved search-and-attack units working to detect, track and expel a U.S. submarine.
Spanish Marines also trained at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune during FLEETEX 250. DVIDS identified one June 20 exercise as joint suppression of enemy air defense training involving U.S. Marines, a Spanish marine and a Spanish soldier.
Washington Fight Over U.S. Commitments
The drills came as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a review of U.S. troop deployments in Europe and threatened to withhold some U.S. dues to NATO if allies failed to meet defense spending commitments. Hegseth said the review would last up to six months and include consultations with Congress.
Hegseth said the review was intended to push Europe toward taking primary responsibility for its own defense. He also criticized allies that did not support U.S. operations during the war with Iran, after some countries denied basing and overflight rights for war-related activities.
In a June 24 Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump criticized several allies over Iran and said the United States had been “let down.” Rutte sought to highlight increased allied defense spending and European cooperation with U.S. operations.
Operational Cooperation Continues
The Navy framed FLEETEX 250 as an interoperability exercise meant to test integrated forces in a multi-domain training environment. Vice Adm. Doug Perry, commander of U.S. 2nd Fleet, said operating as an integrated team sharpens the participating forces and demonstrates a shared commitment to maritime security in the Atlantic.
The political dispute has not stopped working-level military coordination. Spanish Marines joined the FLEETEX 250 exercises after an internal Pentagon email described in an April Reuters report outlined possible steps involving Spain over access, basing and overflight rights during the Iran conflict.
Mark Cancian, a retired U.S. Marine officer at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, described the continued drills as routine alliance activity. “This is just NATO being NATO,” he said.
Following FLEETEX 250, participating units were scheduled to sail to New York City for International Naval Review 250 from July 3-8, part of events tied to America’s 250th anniversary.
