U.S. Marines with the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division conduct a troop movement during cold weather training in preparation for Nordic Response 2024 in Setermoen, Norway. LANCE CPL. JOSHUA KUMAKAW/2ND MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE
THE WATCH STAFF
NATO allies trained together in frigid Arctic climes as members honed their interoperability during exercise Nordic Response, which ran March 3-14, 2024, in northern Finland, Norway and Sweden. The exercise was designed to acclimate troops and equipment to Arctic conditions. Formerly known as Cold Response, Nordic Response is a NATO training event conducted every two years with the U.S. Marine Corps among the participants. This year, 13 nations participated in the 20,000 Soldier exercise, including the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
The exercise was renamed in honor of new participants Finland and Sweden, which are also NATO’s newest members. The drill helps NATO members improve interoperability and practice key strategies for protecting the Arctic region from potential aggressors, according to a Norwegian Armed Forces news release.
At sea, more than 50 submarines, frigates, corvettes, amphibious vessels and aircraft carriers operated while more than 100 warplanes, transport aircraft and maritime surveillance aircraft were in the air, including CH43 Super Stallion, Merlin, Cobra and Osprey allied aircraft. On land, artillery, tanks and tracked vehicles were displayed in exercises to defend Arctic territory. In January 2024, the Marine Corps’ 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division arrived at a Norwegian Army base nestled among the snow-capped mountains of Setermoen in northern Norway.
The 800 Marines worked on Arctic operations and tactics with the Norwegian Army’s 1st Armored Battalion while sharing their own operational knowledge, according to a Marine Corps news release. Training opportunities ahead of Nordic Response strengthen shared values and foster expertise, enhancing interoperability between the armed forces of both nations, particularly in navigating the harsh Arctic conditions, the release stated.
“It’s an opportunity for us and our Norwegian partners to share knowledge and collective experience to allow our forces to integrate towards our shared goals,” said U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Devon Sanderfield, the operations officer for 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, in the release.
The Norwegian Army shared its expertise with Marines on how to operate and survive in an unforgiving Arctic environment. “This is our Norwegian ally’s home and backyard and they have been able to provide us lessons learned and best practices to ensure our forces can accomplish any task,” Sanderfield added.
For their part, Norwegian officers said Marine tactics and resources have improved their interoperability capabilities and provided valuable insight. “The positive effects of the knowledge exchange is that we get a better understanding of how to plan operations,” explained Norwegian Army Maj. Eirik Andresen, the operations officer for 1st Armored Battalion. “We have learned about integration of joint fires, and the Marine Corps brings new resources that are really beneficial for us in the conducting and planning of operations in the high north with capabilities that we don’t have in our organization.”
The continued collaboration between allies is mutually beneficial. It helps strengthen interoperability, an important aspect of globally integrated layered defense. The exercise also helped increase resilience among allied troops in the harsh Arctic environment. Most importantly, Nordic Response shows potential adversaries the defensive cohesion and unified mission of NATO and the strength of Nordic participation in the defense of NATO’s northern flank.
“What does it take to defend, fight and survive in an Arctic environment? What do you do if you fall through the ice while wearing 20 kilograms of military gear? (Nordic Response) is a long-planned exercise bringing together thousands of troops from NATO Allies and partners, testing their ability to work together in cold weather conditions across Norway — on land, in the air and at sea,” read a 2022 statement from NATO about the previous Nordic exercise.