U.S. East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare Operators (SEALs) await extraction from the beach of Gambell, Saint Lawrence Island, Alaska, by U.S. Army MH-60M Blackhawk helicopters assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) as part of Operation Polar Dagger. SENIOR AIRMAN JOHNNY DIAZ/U.S. AIR FORCE
THE WATCH STAFF
The Department of Defense recently conducted a month-long exercise in Alaska, approximately
72 kilometers from Russia. Army, Air Force and Navy special forces units assigned to Special
Operations Command North (SOCNORTH) trained in maritime assaults and helicopter landings
in rough seas and met other Arctic tactical and logistical challenges during Operation Polar
Dagger.
MH-60 helicopters from the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Naval Special
Warfare SEALS, combatant craft assault boats and ScanEagle drones participated in the summer
2024 exercise along with Air Force C-146 Wolfhound transport aircraft, which are used to ferry
special forces troops into action. An Austere Surgical Resuscitative Team from the Army’s 528th
Special Operations Sustainment Brigade was also present, officials from U.S. Northern
Command (USNORTHCOM) told Task & Purpose, a military affairs news site. “Special
Operations Command North has discovered that in each location in which we operate there are
unique challenges to overcome, especially in the extreme cold weather environments of the High
North,” a NORTHCOM spokesperson told the news site. “Some of these challenges include how
to manage liquids, from water to medical supplies, and how to keep aircraft and other ground
maneuver equipment functioning in sub-zero temperatures.”
The USS John L. Canley, a Navy Expeditionary Sea Base ship, was part of the exercise, which
ran from July 5 to August 2, 2024. The ship is designed to host special operations and
amphibious assault units with a wide flight deck and special launching berths for small raiding
crafts, according to Task & Purpose. Several photos released by the military show special
operators on small assault boats coming and going around the Canley. Parts of the exercise took
place in the Bering Sea, but other segments involved assets closer to Russia. A photo of an Air
Force C-146 on the airfield at Savoonga, a village on St. Lawrence – a remote island 167
kilometers off the Alaskan mainland and just 72 kilometers from Russia – was released by the
U.S. military.
Navy SEALs practiced amphibious assaults in special warfare combatant craft assault boats, the
smallest of the Navy’s special warfare vessels. The boats carry SEALs and other operators on
long open-water assaults. Army MH-60 helicopters practiced landing and taking off on the
Canley. A ScanEagle drone, used by SEALS in tactical reconnaissance, was launched and
recovered from the Canley’s deck, reported Task & Purpose.
“The ability for our forces to look each other in the eyes, in real time, provides unmatched value,
especially in the austere environment of the Arctic,” Chief Master Sgt. Clint Grizzell, the former
SOCNORTH command senior enlisted leader, told Task & Purpose. “We’ve had some great
lessons learned, but it is about how we work together, joint SOF and total force, to evolve from
the previous operation. We already found lessons that we’re going to build upon for the next
iteration.”
Operation Polar Dagger has been an integral part of USNORTHCOM and the North American
Aerospace Defense Command’s annual Noble Defender exercise, which demonstrates the layered
defense and deterrence capabilities of U.S. and allied forces.