Seeking to consolidate and demonstrate its ability to operate in the Arctic, the United States Navy (U.S. Navy) launched the so-called Operation Ice Camp Boarfish 2026 on Saturday, March 7, which—under the initial plan—will run for a three-week period. According to the service’s official statement, the activity was inaugurated by the Commander of Submarine Forces following the arrival of the submarines USS Delaware (SSN 791) and USS Santa Fe (SSN 763) in the operating area, while the construction of the corresponding camp—where their performance will be evaluated—was completed in parallel.
Adding further detail, Operation Ice Camp Boarfish 2026 will involve a wide range of U.S. forces, as well as international partners. In that sense, participants include the U.S. Navy itself, the United States Marine Corps, and the Air National Guard. In addition, personnel from the Royal Australian Navy, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the French Marine Nationale, the UK Royal Navy, the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, and the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology will also take part.
Underscoring the strategic importance of this mission—which is conducted every two years—Vice Adm. Richard Seif stated: “The Arctic is a crucial region for national security and global stability. Our commitment to a sustained presence and operational readiness here is unwavering. ICE CAMP Boarfish allows us to test and refine our capabilities, deepen our interoperability with key allies, and ensure our Submarine Force can project power and defend our nation’s interests in any environment and at any time. Our strength in the Arctic is a testament to the skill and resilience of our Sailors and partners.”
Along those lines, it is worth noting that the U.S. Navy has been conducting operations like this in the Arctic for more than six decades to ensure its presence and its ability to respond in the event of conflict—dating back to the USS Nautilus (SSN 571) completing the first under-ice transit in 1958, and USS Skate (SSN 578) surfacing through the ice for the first time in 1959. As such, Ice Camp Boarfish would constitute the 100th operation since those initial milestones, with the name chosen in honor of the submarine USS Boarfish (SS 327), which in 1944 carried out the first exploration beneath the polar ice cap in order to test new sonar technology.
Looking beyond what the activity represents for the United States, this edition will also serve as a major learning experience for personnel from the allied forces involved, which for various reasons have not been able to sustain a similar Arctic presence in recent years. As an illustrative example, public records indicate that the last Royal Navy submarine to surface through the ice was HMS Trenchant in 2018—marking the first time in more than a decade that this occurred. The region now carries greater importance for London; and beyond the deployment referenced above, this is also reflected in plans to double the number of personnel stationed in Norway.
Image credits: Petty Officer 1st Class Jacob Bergh
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