Mar 23 2022

Video: NATO Allies train in harsh arctic conditions - Fighting the cold

In the Arctic, a soldier's greatest foe isn't the enemy – it's the cold and NATO Allies continue to hone their skills in the high arctic. Currently, Norwegian-led exercise Cold Response is underway in Norway.

In this video, we follow a company of US Marine infantry as they learn how to survive, fight and prevail in conditions that are constantly working against them. In the mountains of northern Norway, they learn how to survive an ice fall-in, live in sub-zero temperatures, and conduct combat operations in terrain that makes the rudiments of warfare – moving and fighting – much more difficult.

During the field training portion of Exercise White Claymore 18, the US Marines tested their skills in the Norwegian backcountry, where they tracked down and attacked the UK Royal Marine opposing force in a simulated scenario. We interview a Norwegian infantry captain, two UK Royal Marine mountain warfare experts, and a US Marine infantry sergeant.

Footage includes shots of Norwegian and US infantry traversing the Arctic backcountry on skis, firing weapons and patrolling under the aurora borealis.