US Marines don skis in joint NATO exercises in the critical Arctic battleground
US Marines are taking part in a major NATO exercise in Norway.
After years of fighting in desert heat, the Marines are finding it difficult to adapt.
The exercises are part of Steadfast Defender 2024, which is set to go on until the end of May.
For the past few weeks, thousands of US Marines have been exercising in one of the world's coldest and most unforgiving regions.
While some are operating in extreme cold and high altitudes in Alaska, II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF) joined other NATO forces in northern Norway as part of the alliance's Nordic Response exercises.
With extreme temperatures, limited daylight hours, and unfamiliar terrain, the Marines have been forced to sharpen their winter-weather expertise and cope with the harsh Arctic environment.
Last month, II MEF attended a 10-day training course in the hills near the Norwegian town of Setermoen. Many had never used skis before and struggled to navigate the snowy terrain.
"Every time, I fall on my ass," one Marine told the NATO website.
But the Marines slowly got the hang of it.
"I think that's one of the things that we see with our marines and sailors in this training," said II MEF commander, Lt. Colonel Ted Driscoll, "is how rapidly they can gain skills to meet a level of proficiency necessary to execute operations. But like anything, it just takes practice."
In one of the latest exercises, troops were given a hypothetical scenario in which there had been a cross-border incursion from the east, and they were required to drive the invaders out, NBC News reported.
The II MEF, the US military's rapid response group, was ordered to delay the hypothetical enemy so that "reinforcements" had time to arrive.
But for the US troops involved in the exercise, the climate continues to prove as much of a challenge as anything.
After years of battles in the arid desert conditions of Iraq and Afghanistan, the Marines have been plunged deep into the "harsh cold" of the Arctic.
In a February statement, the commanding general of II MEF, Lt. Gen. David A. Ottignon, said the exercises were designed to build "on the grit, skills, and determination within every Marine so they can operate in any clime and place."
"The Arctic is a fluid, strategic place. It's important for our allies to know that we're here today, and we'll be here when needed to respond swiftly to any threat," the Lt. Gen. said.
NATO drills and the Russian threat
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the militaries of NATO countries have been studying and fine-tuning techniques and strategies to repel better a potential Russian invasion of a NATO member country.
Norway has long been a cold-weather training ground for NATO allies. The Cold Response series began in 2006, though was renamed this year due to the expansion of the exercises to involve its new Scandinavian partners, Finland and Sweden.
The drills involve over 20,000 soldiers from more than 14 countries. They are part of larger joint-NATO exercises known as Steadfast Defender 2024, which are set to involve 90,000 military personnel and go on until the end of May.
"Steadfast Defender 2024 will demonstrate NATO's ability to rapidly deploy forces from North America and other parts of the alliance to reinforce the defense of Europe," NATO has said about the exercises, per Reuters.
US and Norwegian officials told NBC they were aware of Russian vessels in the area keeping a watchful eye on the exercises, and they noted Russia's increased use of signal-jamming in recent times.
Just last week, Russia was suspected of jamming the signals of a military plane carrying UK Defense Secretary Grant Schapps.
The Norwegian Communication Authority told Business Insider in February that there had been disruptions to GPS around the parts of Norway and Finland bordering Russia almost every day this year.
Nevertheless, the defense ministers of Sweden, Finland, and Norway were photographed celebrating their unity, hailing the ongoing exercises as a success.
Earlier this month, Pål Jonson, Sweden's defense minister, described Sweden and Finland's NATO membership as "the mother of all unintended consequences" for Russia.
The Arctic is a key location
The Arctic itself is already a critical region for Russia and NATO.
A report released last year on Arctic power competition from the think tank Brookings Institution said that, while the Ukraine war would continue to "drain" Russian military assets, "the Arctic will continue to be a priority region for the Russian military."
It noted that Russia had or was building 30 military or dual-use facilities in the Arctic Circle, including nuclear facilities and air bases, among other things.
The power struggle in the region stems in part from melting sea ice, which has helped create new summer shipping routes.
Natural resources like oil and natural gas in the region are also increasingly fought over.
That all comes amid increasingly threatening rhetoric from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Putin has snapped back at the West following French President Emmanuel Macron's suggestions that NATO could send troops to Ukraine.
Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, said Macron's comments showed a "high degree of political irresponsibility" and that they were "extremely dangerous."
Putin said this week that Russia was ready for a nuclear war if the US deployed troops to Ukraine, saying it would be a major escalation if it did so, Reuters reported.
Russia might not be an imminent threat to NATO countries while its troops are preoccupied in Ukraine, but Sweden's Lt. General Carl-Johan Edstrom has said it's just a matter of time: "I'm sure Russia is a threat, yes, and we need to be stronger in the coming five to 10 years," he told the BBC.
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