Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday travelled to Denmark to meet with his Navy counterpart as well as other senior Danish leadership to discuss areas for continued mutual cooperation, June 2.
COPENHAGEN - Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Mike Gilday travelled to Denmark June 2 to meet with his Navy counterpart as well as other senior Danish leadership to discuss areas for continued mutual cooperation.
During his visit, Gilday met with the Danish Minister of Defence, Trine Bramsen, Permanent Secretary of State for Defence, Morten Bæk, Chief of the Royal Danish Navy Rear Adm. Torben Mikkelsen, and Joint Arctic Commander RADM Martin La Cour-Andersen, among others.
"Denmark is a key maritime partner and I am grateful that our navy-to-navy relationship has expanded the past several years," said Gilday. "This visit was an important opportunity for us to build upon our solid foundation, discuss ways to strengthen our navies' partnership, particularly in the area of maritime domain awareness, as well as reinforce our commitment to the region and the NATO alliance."
The U.S. Navy and the Royal Danish Navy routinely operate together throughout the globe, specifically in anti-submarine warfare and integrated air and missile defense (IAMD). Royal Danish Navy Air Defense Frigate HDMS Iver Huitfeldt (F361) is one of fifteen ships from ten countries participating in the on-going Exercise At-Sea Demo/Formidable Shield 2021. This is the first time that a Danish air defense frigate has participated in this exercise.
"The United States Navy is one of our closest maritime partners, and there is a strong working relationship and friendship between our navies," said Mikkelsen. "Throughout the years the US-Danish naval cooperation has grown stronger and stronger, and I am sure that we can continue to widen our cooperation in the future to the benefit of both our navies and the NATO alliance."
This trip marked the second time Gilday has met with Mikkelsen, and his first visit to Denmark as CNO.
