Cold Combat: Army Tackles Arctic Challenges Alongside European Allies.

• Author: Easley, Mikayla
• Position: LAND FORCES

PARIS--After two decades of fighting wars in the Middle East and South Asia, the U.S.

Army is rebuilding its capabilities for the austere conditions of the Arctic. The service is looking to its international partners as it seeks to regain its footing in the revived operational environment.

Army leaders from the United States, France and Finland gathered during the Eurosatory defense exhibition in Paris recently to discuss the importance of the Arctic and how each country is preparing for operations in the region.

The Arctic has regained prominence as a strategic environment for the Pentagon and its allies in recent years due to increasing levels of military and economic activity from Russia and China in the region, according to the Army's Arctic Strategy document released in 2021.

Both countries "have developed Arctic strategies with geopolitical goals contrary to U.S. interests. Russia seeks to consolidate sovereign claims and control access to the region. China aims to gain access to Arctic resources and sea routes to secure and bolster its military, economic and scientific rise," the document states.

Titled, "Regaining Arctic Dominance," the Army's newest strategy document for cold-weather operations seeks to adapt the service's force postures, training methods and equipment for operations in the region, which have greatly diminished in the last 20 years during the post-9/11 wars, said Maj. Gen. Peter Andrysiak, deputy commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa.

Now, the service wants the soldiers specifically trained, equipped and sustained to deploy and fight in extreme cold and mountainous conditions anywhere in the world at a moment's notice.

"We have a significant gap in operating in areas of extreme cold,... in high levels of snowfall and in mountainous terrain," he said during the discussion, which was hosted by the Association of the United States Army at the exhibition. "It's a pretty lofty goal, considering where we are."

There are several challenges unique to the Arctic the service will need to address as it gears up for action in the region, according to the document. Beyond freezing cold temperatures, the Arctic's weather can change unexpectedly. The region is remote, experiences long periods of darkness and extended daylight that influence operations and has terrain that changes drastically with the seasons.

"This is not operating off of roads and fixed infrastructure. This is going into very remote locations that are...