U.S. Green Berets take to the snow in Canadian training

THE WATCH STAFF

U.S. Green Berets recently participated in Operation Nanook, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) annual multinational exercise.

Operation Nanook is the CAF’s signature Arctic operation and took place February 14-28, 2022. The series of joint activities is designed to assert Canada’s sovereignty over its northern territories and bolster its combat and emergency readiness.

Special Forces Operations Detachment Alpha (SFOD-A) from the Utah National Guard’s 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) trained alongside a Canadian Ranger Patrol Group (CRPG).

“Operation Nanook presented an opportunity for 19th Special Forces Group (19th SFG) to exercise the Department of Defense’s current Arctic strategy by deploying an SFOD-A to participate in an international operation in an allied country,” the 19th SFG said in a statement.

“Their successful linkup with [1st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group] presented them with the indigenous approach to the Arctic, which will pay dividends on future High North engagements.”

Before deploying to the joint operations area, Nanook participants had to take the Land Over Snow Vehicle training taught by the CAF’s Joint Task Force North in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, where the average temperature was minus 35 degrees Fahrenheit.

During the course, which results in a license recognized by NATO member nations, the Green Berets were instructed on snowmobile maintenance and cold-weather operations.

After the training, the Green Berets traveled to the Tuktoyaktuk settlement north of the Arctic Circle to link up at Aklavik with the 1CRPG, which is made up of Indigenous Inuits with expert knowledge of the Northwest Territories. The group conducted a 200-mile patrol around the Yukon territory on snowmobiles with a five-member Ranger team that included a radio-support technician to service Northern Warning System Radar Sites along the route.

(Pictured: Members of Special Forces Operations Detachment Alpha and Canadian Rangers near a Northern Warning System site during Operation Nanook.)

“Their successful linkup with 1CRPG presented them with the indigenous approach to the Arctic, which will pay dividends on future High North engagements,” the 19th SFG said.

The Soldiers also trained on loading and unloading the MEDEVAC platform for the Royal Canadian Air Force CC-138 Twin Otter aircraft as well as civilian helicopters. 19th Special Forces Group members also learned Arctic survival skills that included hunting and skinning.

“Part of Joint Task Force North’s mandate is to ensure we are making a persistent presence in the North, as well as maintain all-domain situational awareness,” Brig. Gen. Pascal Godbout, the commander of Canada’s Joint Task Force North, told Northern News Services Ltd. on February 22. “And to be prepared to respond to all government operations to maintain Arctic security.”

Operation Nanook showcased the strength of the U.S.-Canada Special Operations Forces partnership, which dates to the 1st Special Services Force, a combined unit that earned multiple decorations in World War II.