U.S. and Canada to conduct joint Bering Sea maritime strike drills with F-35s, E-3 aircraft and naval forces near Alaska

The United States and Canada scheduled Operation TUNDRA MERLIN in the Bering Sea from September 18 to 22, about 100 nautical miles north of Dutch Harbor. The exercise combines Alaska-based F-35s and E-3 airborne-warning aircraft with U.S. Coast Guard, Royal Canadian Navy, and Canadian patrol assets. Participants will rehearse simulated maritime strikes, pass targeting information across services, and test command-and-control procedures for defending both homelands. U.S. Northern Command and Alaskan Command are directing the event, which is an Arctic readiness drill against notional targets rather than a response to a publicly identified real-world incident.