Latest news with #SwedishArmy
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Science
- Hindustan Times
Very Cold War: Brutal Arctic Conditions Are Testing U.S. and Allied Forces
Elite combat troops shred their physiques to look like Hollywood hunks. In the Arctic, that can kill you. The cold eats away at soldiers, who lose on average 3,000 calories a day while on exercises in the Arctic Circle—even while eating full rations and before they have taken part in any strenuous activity. 'The modern soldier goes to the gym, likes to look lean with washboard abs, so they don't have any fat on their muscles,' said Swedish Army Sgt. Maj. Fredrik Flink, who leads winter-warfare courses for U.S. Marines and other forces in northern Sweden. 'After three days here, they are really worn down. That is the biggest problem we have,' he said. 'Basic things aren't sexy nowadays.' U.S. and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops are flocking to the European Arctic, where international tensions are simmering. Militaries haven't clashed in the high north in generations, and defense planners are puzzling through what war there would look like. It is ugly. 'We are writing the book as it happens, based on almost zero experience,' said Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska. 'This is a very strange set of circumstances.' The war in Ukraine has given the world a glimpse of future armed conflict. The Arctic is different. In Ukraine, killer drones swarm the skies and dominate the front line. In the Arctic, fuels freeze and batteries die suddenly. Drones in the high north run on jet fuel or diesel, and are equipped with deicing systems and robust propulsion to withstand Arctic winds. As a result, they are usually so large they need a trailer or a runway to launch. Ships and aircraft require special lubricants and hardened exteriors. The ice provides cover for submarines but also poses operational challenges for navigation and communication. It is an area where Russia, with stealthy, ice-breaking submarines with long-range missile capabilities, has an advantage. The northern lights—a stunning natural phenomenon and Instagrammable tourist attraction—interfere with radio signals, as charged particles from the sun interact with Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere. Defending the high north relies largely on old-school methods: infantry in white uniforms, on skis and snowmobiles. 'Technology is picking up, and we're all learning quicker, but still, if you wanna hold ground, and if you wanna defend ground, you will rely on boots on the ground and your overwhites,' said Swedish Army Chief Maj. Gen. Jonny Lindfors. One of the greatest challenges is also the most basic: how to sustain troops in the harsh Arctic climate for weeks at a time. As a young sergeant, Vegard Flom once led a reconnaissance patrol on exercise in northern Norway. Temperatures in March fluctuated from just above freezing during the day to well below at night. He went to bed one night, socks soaked from the marshes, and woke up to find them frozen. He still feels the effects of frostbite nearly three decades later. Even in the blazing summer sun, his feet are always cold. 'I view myself as a cold-weather warrior,' said Flom, who is now a colonel in the Norwegian Army and leads the NATO Centre of Excellence—Cold Weather Operations. 'Throughout the years, I have found that I can master some of it, but not all of it.' No one can predict how the cold will hit them until they are in it. Flink, the Swedish instructor, once led soldiers through a 'lone wolf' exercise, teaching them to camp alone in subzero temperatures. One night, he approached a soldier who was walking in circles, stomping his feet, saying it was too cold to light a fire. He had forgotten how to use his army-issued, three-layer Swedish sleeping bags, two of which were still in his rucksack. 'We call it cold shock,' Flink said. 'They are not receptive to information.' U.S. Marines are taught how to camp in the snow and hide without the cover of trees. Military experts and commanders believe Russia is unlikely to attack a NATO country while embroiled in the war in Ukraine, or in its immediate aftermath. Moscow, however, could be ready to attack a NATO country within five years, according to the alliance's Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Because Russia dominates the Arctic, the West can use the region to deter Russian aggression by implicitly threatening its interests, such as shipping lanes and infrastructure, said Bryan Clark, director of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology at the Hudson Institute in Washington. 'There's an asymmetry there the West can take advantage of,' he said. The Arctic has rarely seen combat. Western troops supported anti-Bolshevik forces against the Red Army in the Northern Front of the Russian Civil War from 1918. Finland fought the brutal Winter War with the Soviet Union for approximately 100 days beginning in late 1939. Arctic Norway and Finland were the scene of a three-week Soviet operation to drive German troops out in 1944. After Nazi Germany invaded the northern Norwegian port of Narvik in 1940, British, French and Polish troops intervened in support of the Norwegians. Even the French legionnaires—considered some of the world's toughest soldiers—struggled in the cold. Today, most of NATO's Arctic territory is in North America, but its land borders with Russia are in Northern Europe. Sweden and Finland, in particular, have spent decades training for potential conflict with Russia. The West is worried that Moscow could use the Arctic to launch an incursion into the Baltic region or Finland. It could attempt a limited land grab of the eastern Estonian border city of Narva, the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, or the Swedish Baltic Sea island of Gotland, said Lindfors. A larger-scale campaign could seize a swath of territory known as the Cap of the North, comprising northernmost Norway, Sweden and Finland, allowing Russia to dominate the northern seaway. In the event of a Russian offensive, Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish troops would likely be backfilled by NATO forces flowing into the Arctic, including Americans based in Germany and Poland. Key to NATO's war efforts will be Norway's Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol, an elite force trained to operate deep behind enemy lines in units of half a dozen soldiers. They dig snowcaves large enough to conceal snowmobiles and skin reindeer to cook over an open fire. During a recent 100-day exercise, the unit's soldiers traveled over 1,500 miles and resupplied only once, one of its members said. Nordic instructors teach NATO allies, including U.S. Marines, how to camp in the snow and hide without the cover of trees. They show them how to slaughter reindeer, catch fish to eat raw and adjust themselves to constant daylight in the summer, which can rob soldiers of sleep and a sense of time. Newcomers to the Arctic need about a month to overcome the initial shock and to thrive in the cold, said Brig. Terje Bruøygard, commander of Norway's Brigade North, a 4,500-strong unit based north of the Arctic Circle. The trick to coping with the cold, he said, is to accept you can't fight it. A dozen U.S. Marines were once medevaced back to the U.S. from training in northern Norway, after their commander told them to 'toughen up, Marines.' They suffered frostbite so severe that they required surgical attention, Bruøygard remembered. A cold injury requires you to change what you're doing, he said. 'If you toughen up, you will have a second or third degree injury. You can lose your flesh, you can die.' Swedish, Finnish, Italian and French troops taking part in an amphibious assault demonstration. Bruøygard speaks from experience. At 24, he fell through the ice on a small lake during an exercise. His training kicked in. He fluttered his legs and tried to drag himself up, but repeatedly slipped back into the cold water. In a final attempt before his strength sapped, he clawed his nails into the ice and pulled himself up. He crawled away on all fours to avoid breaking through the ice again. By the time he returned to his platoon, his weapon and equipment had frozen to his body. He passed out and woke up in his sleeping bag, undressed by his conscripts, who had put him in a sleeping bag and lit a fire. Not everyone survives a cold brush with death. A Norwegian battle tank capsized during an exercise years later and crashed through the ice, killing two soldiers. Write to Sune Engel Rasmussen at Very Cold War: Brutal Arctic Conditions Are Testing U.S. and Allied Forces
Mint
2 days ago
- Science
- Mint
Very cold war: Brutal Arctic conditions are testing US and allied forces
Elite combat troops shred their physiques to look like Hollywood hunks. In the Arctic, that can kill you. The cold eats away at soldiers, who lose on average 3,000 calories a day while on exercises in the Arctic Circle—even while eating full rations and before they have taken part in any strenuous activity. 'The modern soldier goes to the gym, likes to look lean with washboard abs, so they don't have any fat on their muscles," said Swedish Army Sgt. Maj. Fredrik Flink, who leads winter-warfare courses for U.S. Marines and other forces in northern Sweden. 'After three days here, they are really worn down. That is the biggest problem we have," he said. 'Basic things aren't sexy nowadays." U.S. and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops are flocking to the European Arctic, where international tensions are simmering. Militaries haven't clashed in the high north in generations, and defense planners are puzzling through what war there would look like. It is ugly. 'We are writing the book as it happens, based on almost zero experience," said Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska. 'This is a very strange set of circumstances." The war in Ukraine has given the world a glimpse of future armed conflict. The Arctic is different. In Ukraine, killer drones swarm the skies and dominate the front line. In the Arctic, fuels freeze and batteries die suddenly. Drones in the high north run on jet fuel or diesel, and are equipped with deicing systems and robust propulsion to withstand Arctic winds. As a result, they are usually so large they need a trailer or a runway to launch. Ships and aircraft require special lubricants and hardened exteriors. The ice provides cover for submarines but also poses operational challenges for navigation and communication. It is an area where Russia, with stealthy, ice-breaking submarines with long-range missile capabilities, has an advantage. The northern lights—a stunning natural phenomenon and Instagrammable tourist attraction—interfere with radio signals, as charged particles from the sun interact with Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere. Defending the high north relies largely on old-school methods: infantry in white uniforms, on skis and snowmobiles. 'Technology is picking up, and we're all learning quicker, but still, if you wanna hold ground, and if you wanna defend ground, you will rely on boots on the ground and your overwhites," said Swedish Army Chief Maj. Gen. Jonny Lindfors. One of the greatest challenges is also the most basic: how to sustain troops in the harsh Arctic climate for weeks at a time. As a young sergeant, Vegard Flom once led a reconnaissance patrol on exercise in northern Norway. Temperatures in March fluctuated from just above freezing during the day to well below at night. He went to bed one night, socks soaked from the marshes, and woke up to find them frozen. He still feels the effects of frostbite nearly three decades later. Even in the blazing summer sun, his feet are always cold. 'I view myself as a cold-weather warrior," said Flom, who is now a colonel in the Norwegian Army and leads the NATO Centre of Excellence—Cold Weather Operations. 'Throughout the years, I have found that I can master some of it, but not all of it." No one can predict how the cold will hit them until they are in it. Flink, the Swedish instructor, once led soldiers through a 'lone wolf" exercise, teaching them to camp alone in subzero temperatures. One night, he approached a soldier who was walking in circles, stomping his feet, saying it was too cold to light a fire. He had forgotten how to use his army-issued, three-layer Swedish sleeping bags, two of which were still in his rucksack. 'We call it cold shock," Flink said. 'They are not receptive to information." Military experts and commanders believe Russia is unlikely to attack a NATO country while embroiled in the war in Ukraine, or in its immediate aftermath. Moscow, however, could be ready to attack a NATO country within five years, according to the alliance's Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Because Russia dominates the Arctic, the West can use the region to deter Russian aggression by implicitly threatening its interests, such as shipping lanes and infrastructure, said Bryan Clark, director of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology at the Hudson Institute in Washington. 'There's an asymmetry there the West can take advantage of," he said. The Arctic has rarely seen combat. Western troops supported anti-Bolshevik forces against the Red Army in the Northern Front of the Russian Civil War from 1918. Finland fought the brutal Winter War with the Soviet Union for approximately 100 days beginning in late 1939. Arctic Norway and Finland were the scene of a three-week Soviet operation to drive German troops out in 1944. After Nazi Germany invaded the northern Norwegian port of Narvik in 1940, British, French and Polish troops intervened in support of the Norwegians. Even the French legionnaires—considered some of the world's toughest soldiers—struggled in the cold. Today, most of NATO's Arctic territory is in North America, but its land borders with Russia are in Northern Europe. Sweden and Finland, in particular, have spent decades training for potential conflict with Russia. The West is worried that Moscow could use the Arctic to launch an incursion into the Baltic region or Finland. It could attempt a limited land grab of the eastern Estonian border city of Narva, the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, or the Swedish Baltic Sea island of Gotland, said Lindfors. A larger-scale campaign could seize a swath of territory known as the Cap of the North, comprising northernmost Norway, Sweden and Finland, allowing Russia to dominate the northern seaway. In the event of a Russian offensive, Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish troops would likely be backfilled by NATO forces flowing into the Arctic, including Americans based in Germany and Poland. Key to NATO's war efforts will be Norway's Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol, an elite force trained to operate deep behind enemy lines in units of half a dozen soldiers. They dig snowcaves large enough to conceal snowmobiles and skin reindeer to cook over an open fire. During a recent 100-day exercise, the unit's soldiers traveled over 1,500 miles and resupplied only once, one of its members said. Nordic instructors teach NATO allies, including U.S. Marines, how to camp in the snow and hide without the cover of trees. They show them how to slaughter reindeer, catch fish to eat raw and adjust themselves to constant daylight in the summer, which can rob soldiers of sleep and a sense of time. Newcomers to the Arctic need about a month to overcome the initial shock and to thrive in the cold, said Brig. Terje Bruøygard, commander of Norway's Brigade North, a 4,500-strong unit based north of the Arctic Circle. The trick to coping with the cold, he said, is to accept you can't fight it. A dozen U.S. Marines were once medevaced back to the U.S. from training in northern Norway, after their commander told them to 'toughen up, Marines." They suffered frostbite so severe that they required surgical attention, Bruøygard remembered. A cold injury requires you to change what you're doing, he said. 'If you toughen up, you will have a second or third degree injury. You can lose your flesh, you can die." Bruøygard speaks from experience. At 24, he fell through the ice on a small lake during an exercise. His training kicked in. He fluttered his legs and tried to drag himself up, but repeatedly slipped back into the cold water. In a final attempt before his strength sapped, he clawed his nails into the ice and pulled himself up. He crawled away on all fours to avoid breaking through the ice again. By the time he returned to his platoon, his weapon and equipment had frozen to his body. He passed out and woke up in his sleeping bag, undressed by his conscripts, who had put him in a sleeping bag and lit a fire. Not everyone survives a cold brush with death. A Norwegian battle tank capsized during an exercise years later and crashed through the ice, killing two soldiers. Write to Sune Engel Rasmussen at
The Star
05-08-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Sweden, Norway, Denmark give $486 million to NATO project to send US weapons to Ukraine
A member of the Swedish Army sits in a tank as Swedish Army armoured vehicles and tanks participate in a military exercise called "Cold Response 2022", gathering around 30,000 troops from NATO member countries as well as Finland and Sweden, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Setermoen in the Arctic Circle, Norway, March 25, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
