Arctic

These three cold weather survival tips from the Army’s Northern Warfare Training Center may help you stay alive when the mercury drops.

How would America’s top special operations units fare in an Arctic war against Russia?

In addition to all the current global threats, the United States military is working rapidly to re-establish preeminince in the Arctic.

The United States may have fought decades fighting in the sand, but special operations soldiers remain ready and able for arctic warfare.

On June 9, President Trump released the “Memorandum on Safeguarding U.S. Interests in the Arctic and Antarctic Regions.” The Memorandum flew mostly under the radar, yet it is indicative of increased U.S. interest in the polar regions and a response to the adverse power balance in the Arctic. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean […]

This past week SOFREP’s Steve Balestrieri wrote about the newly redesigned Artic Tab and how it spurred controversy. The controversy ultimately comes from egos, a feeling that everyone needs a trophy. Let us be honest; how many tabs does the Army need? The Arctic tab is earned by completing either the Cold Weather Leaders Course […]

The Army is serious about placing more emphasis on cold-weather warfare as competition with “near-peers” Russia and China in the Arctic intensifies. So, the Army has redesigned the rectangular “Arctic” tab that denoted that a soldier had graduated the Northern Warfare Cold Weather Leader’s Course (CWLC). They have now made the tab into an arced-shaped […]

In a move that sounds like something from the playbook of the Czars or like the purges of Stalin when “enemies of the state” were exiled to Siberia, the government of Vladimir Putin has dusted off those tactics. Ruslan Shaveddinov a close ally of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was arrested, forcibly conscripted in the […]

A C-130 destined for King George Island on the northern tip of Antarctica fell out of radio contact on Monday evening, leaving many to fear the worst for the 38 people on board. The Chilean Air Force’s C-130 departed from Punta Arenas, in Southern Chile and flew for approximately an hour and five minutes before losing […]

U.S. Marines with Force Reconnaissance Company, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, discuss their plan prior to an operation during Exercise Trident Juncture 18 at Vaernes Air Station, Norway, on October 31, 2018. Trident Juncture 18 demonstrates the II Marine Expeditionary Forces’ ability to deploy, employ, and redeploy the Marine Air Ground Task Force while improving interoperability with […]

Although it’s not at all unheard of for a national navy to train aquatic mammals for certain undersea tasks, Norway’s Institute of Marine Research now contends that a beluga whale that has been harassing fishing boats in the Arctic Circle is actually a Russian Navy asset that’s been deployed to the region. As crazy as […]

In recent years, Russian President Vladimir Putin has placed a large emphasis on expanding the Russian presence throughout the oft-ignored Arctic. As sea ice continues to melt, new shipping lanes and natural resources, and with them, economic opportunities may help to reinvigorate Russia’s declining economy, thanks to the nation’s massive fleet of more than 40 […]