“America’s Newsroom” co-anchor Bill Hemmer took a trip like no other last week when he accompanied the U.S. Navy during Operation IceCamp 2024 in the Arctic Ocean.
“The joint force’s ability to conduct operations in all areas, including the Arctic, is critical to our national security,” said Maj. Gen. Andrew Miller, commander of the Undersea Warfare Development Center, in a press release. The importance of Last week we went camping.
The three-week operation, formerly known as Ice Exercises (ICEX), has been held every two years since 1946, but this year’s operation may be the most important yet.
Hemmer was invited to accompany some of this year’s operations and travel to the North Pole, giving the Fox News host a firsthand look at the work the U.S. Navy is doing in the region.
US military shoots down Houthi drone over Red Sea
Fox News’ Bill Hemmer holds an American flag near Ice Camp Whale. (Fox News – Bill Hemmer)
His journey began at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C., where Hemmer took a nearly eight-hour flight to the airport in the remote Alaskan town of Deadhorse. From there, the FOX News hosts flew another 320 miles north over ice-covered waters to the Beaufort Sea, where they met sailors and scientists operating at Ice Camp Whale. It was necessary to merge.
When Hemmer arrived at the camp, he felt the “bone-chilling cold” of the harsh conditions, including cracks in the ice and the threat of polar bears. But the soldiers and scientists at Ice Camp Whale aren’t just there to train in a unique and dangerous cold-weather environment, Hemmer pointed out, adding that the area has gained strategic importance in recent years. He pointed out that it is becoming more sexual.
Eight countries have territory north of the Arctic Circle: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, the United States, Canada, Denmark (Greenland), and Iceland. All countries are members of NATO except for one of them, Russia. Two of the countries, Sweden and Finland, joined NATO within the past year in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine in early 2022.
Russia, an outlier, is a top concern for U.S. military leaders in the Arctic, including Adm. Darryl Caudle, who says Russia considers the region its “backyard.” told Hemmer.
“Russia considers this their backyard,” Caudle told Ice Camp Whale’s Hemmer. “And what they want more than anything is to take possession of the entire Arctic region, which is rich in resources and where trade routes are opening up every year… They want to use this to their advantage. I think this is a place to stand.”
Fox News Crew Films Movie at Ice Camp Whale. (Fox News – Bill Hemmer)
Russia launches nuclear-powered flagship icebreaker, intensifying Arctic competition
Although naval researchers are still studying the effects of melting ice outside the region, the Navy told Hemmer that these potential trade routes are opening up with melting Arctic ice. .
“I think more research is needed because our knowledge of the Arctic is not as complete as it needs to be. , we need to keep researching. We have better ideas,” Ben Rieder of the Naval Postgraduate School told IceCamp Whale’s Hemmer.
The Navy’s mission in the Arctic extends beyond research to more conventional military operations, such as the deployment of nuclear submarines to the region. Hemmer took the helicopter further north and rendezvoused with the USS Hampton to see that side of the operation firsthand as well. At the designated rendezvous point, Hemmer witnessed the unusual sight of an American Los Angeles-class submarine breaking through the water and emerging onto the icy terrain.
Boarding the San Diego-based ship from there was not an easy task, and the crew spent more than an hour using chainsaws to cut through the thick ice and expose the submarine’s hatch, Hemmer said.
Hemmer spent the next 24 hours aboard the ship, learning how the crew lived their daily lives in confined spaces while carrying out critical missions.
FOX News’ Bill Hemmer outside the USS Hampton.
FOX News crew outside the USS Hampton. (Fox News – Bill Hemmer)
Tanker crew reportedly unharmed after attack by Yemeni Houthi rebels in Red Sea
Isolated from the outside world for about three months at a time, the crew spoke to Hemmer about life aboard the ship, boasting that there is no better food in the military than on a submarine. That meal also includes ice cream, Hemmer said. It’s a long-standing tradition on Navy submarines that leaders believe helps boost morale after months of isolation and cramped quarters.
The crew also had important tasks to perform, and one Hemmer said the crew carried out their duties with “intent” throughout their stay.
As with Ice Camp Whale, USS Hampton leaders identified Russia as the primary concern for U.S. military operations in the region.
Ice camp whale tent. (Fox News – Bill Hemmer)
“I’m concerned from the perspective that we don’t want us to get into some kind of firefight with the Russians because we’re going to lose friends and people are going to die,” said Mike Brown, commander of the USS Hampton. Hemmer from a submarine. “But I think this U.S. submarine force is ready if that’s what we’re called upon to do.”
But Russia is not the only threat looming in the region, with Hemmer pointing out that China has recently sought to establish its own foothold in the Arctic. Similar to the controversial military bases that have sprung up in the South China Sea, China has established scientific research institutes in the Arctic, which Hemmer said could facilitate transportation, extract resources and inform the country’s military operations. He pointed out that it could be used as a base.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Unlike Russia, which has had military operations in the Arctic for generations, China declared itself a “near-Arctic state” in 2018, a move that reflects the country’s growing ambitions around the world. It is an expression of
Aurora from Ice Camp Whale. (Fox News – Bill Hemmer)
Given Russia’s claims to the region, potential expansion of trade and resource exploration, and China’s growing ambitions, the U.S. Navy’s mission in the Arctic is likely to become even more important in the coming years.
Military operations like this will also continue to send an important message to the world and to President Putin, Caudle told Hemmer, signaling the United States’ continued commitment to free and open seas.
“The message is that we also take this region very seriously and we will not sit back and allow any nation to operate here if we do not allow this region to remain free and open.” I hope that gets through to him,’” Caudle said.
