A joint large-scale military exercise concluded in the Arctic bringing together the armed forces of Mongolia, Canadian Infantry and Royal Air Force along with the U.S. armed forces. In addition, the western partner nations who participated in the exercise were Finland, Sweden, and South Korea.
The exercise included snowmobile hunter-killer units, helicopter deep-strikes and flying a rocket launcher 500 miles into the Arctic Circle.
Major General Brian Eifler, Commander of the 11th Airborne Division which was reactivated in 2022, spoke about the complex nature of the military exercise. Fighting in the cold weather is a tricky business, the troops used CATV (Combat All-Terrain Vehicle) to manoeuvre through the terrain.
The military exercise is part of the U.S. Army’s ‘Arctic Strategy’ which was first released in 2019 by the Department of Defense (DoD) and later upgraded to the 2021 “Regaining Arctic Dominance.” The strategy aims to counter the growing military presence of the Russian and Chinese interests in the region.
In the past few years, Russian interest and military engagement have increased in the Arctic region. In 2023, the Russian navy sent the ‘Generalissimo Suvorov’, a nuclear-powered submarine of its Northern Fleet, the biggest in the region.
Since 2000, Russia has been boosting its surface and submarine capabilities in the region. At present based on media reports, the Russian Northern Fleet has around 25 submarines and nearly 20 surface vessels.
Until recently, the US did not focus on dominating the region. But as global power domination and power projection in the Arctic region increases, the possibility of a contest cannot be ignored by the U.S.
The US strategy includes establishment of a multi-domain operational two-star command, equipped to train troops for cold-weather conditions. The requirement is also to improve the operational readiness of the Arctic units for extended periods
The Arctic region is arguably an unexplored treasure of natural resources for many nations, thus encouraging them to capitalise on it.
Nitish Chavan
