The visit serves to deepen security cooperation with Norway, as the two nations work together for a stable, secure and prosperous maritime domain. The United States and Norway are close NATO allies and collaborate on a wide range of issues important to both nations and to the rest of the Alliance.

New Mexico is on a routine deployment conducting maritime security operations with allies and partners in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. Homeported in Groton, Connecticut, New Mexico is the sixth submarine of the Virginia class and was commissioned in March 2010.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.