KEFLAVÍK AIR BASE, Iceland - Builder 3rd Class Noah Sago joins U.S. Sailors and Marines for U.S.-led Exercise NORTHERN VIKING 2024 (NV24) in Keflavik, Iceland, from Aug. 26 to Sept. 3, 2024.
As a native of Gulfport, Mississippi, Sago also has parents in the area and is a U.S. Navy Seabee assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11. His duties as a builder include working with concrete, house framing, masonry, and brick work. These skills were used at NV24 to help set up Alaskan tents for lodging exercise participants and complete airfield damage repair (ADR) training on Keflavik Air Base.
While supporting NV24, Sago was part of exercise activities with servicemembers from Denmark, France, Iceland, Norway, and Poland as well as components of Standing NATO Maritime Group One and Allied Maritime Command.
“I’ve learned a lot more about ADR and how to set up those tents. I’ve never set them up before,” said Sago. “It was a great group of people to work with and we got a lot done quick without rework.”
NV24 will strengthen interoperability among NATO Allies through a variety of contingency situations including humanitarian crisis response caused by a simulated volcanic eruption and other training opportunities to further enhance safety and sustainment operations, expeditionary and construction capabilities, medical responses, and search and rescue, as well as humanitarian assistance.
Through NV24, the U.S., Iceland and Allied nations are better prepared to execute in a multi-domain command and control of joint and coalition forces in the defense of Iceland and the Sea Lines of Communication in the Greenland, Iceland, United Kingdom (GIUK) gap, a vital shipping hub for commerce between North America and Europe.
Participation in multinational exercises such as NV24 enhances professional relationships and improves overall coordination for the U.S. with Allied militaries during times of crisis. It also allows U.S. servicemembers the ability to experience new cultures and visit a foreign country.
While in Iceland, Sago said he was looking forward to eating some Icelandic food and seeing a waterfall. “It’s a really nice country. We’re going out tomorrow to see more of the cities and everything, so I can’t wait to do that,” said Sago.
Northern Viking is a biennial exercise that has been held since 1982 and is based on the provisions of the 1951 Defense Agreement between Iceland and the United States.
U.S. European Command directed and U.S. Naval Forces Europe-led, NV24 is a U.S. Sixth Fleet planned and executed Joint and Coalition live exercise. U.S. Sixth Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts a full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with Allies, in order to advance security and stability in Europe and Africa.
Date Taken: | 09.03.2024 |
Date Posted: | 09.03.2024 14:04 |
Story ID: | 479965 |
Location: | KEFLAVIK, IS |
Web Views: | 95 |
Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Gulfport Native Supports Military Exercise NORTHERN VIKING in Iceland, by CPO Elizabeth Reisen, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.