SODANKYLÄ, Finland — Deep snow. Fleeting daylight. Wet clothes. Frozen weapons. Sub-zero temperatures.
NATO soldiers training in Arctic warfare are learning that in a future conflict, fighting the enemy may be only half the battle. The other would be surviving the region’s harsh winters.
“The environment can be hard for someone who is not used to it,” said Finnish Lt. Laura Lähdekorpi, bundled up and dressed in camouflage to blend in with the snow.
Lähdekorpi is among roughly 20 NATO soldiers participating in an Arctic warfare training and cold-weather survival course led by the Finnish Army’s Jaeger Brigade, which specializes in winter combat.
The monthlong course is conducted far above the Arctic Circle, in Finland’s snow-covered Lapland region, where soldiers see just a few hours of sunlight each day and experience temperatures that regularly drop well below 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
With growing Russian and Chinese activity across the Arctic, NATO officials are stressing the need for greater readiness in the region. The training course helps Western soldiers sharpen their ability to fight on frozen battlefields, where the military alliance could find itself at war next amid rising competition.
“The Arctic, overall, is changing,” Canadian Cpt. Vincent Lemelin, another soldier participating in the course, told Business Insider during a visit to Lapland this week. “So we need to know much more expertise to be able to face these changes.”
Biting cold temperatures
The first of the Arctic warfare training course’s three phases focuses on how to move and survive in winter conditions, teaching soldiers skills such as drying wet clothes, crossing the forest on skis, and preventing their weapons from freezing.
Maj. Mikael Aikio, the Arctic section leader of the Jaeger Brigade who oversees the course, said some of the biggest challenges soldiers face in this environment are maintaining combat readiness in extreme temperatures (below -14 degrees Fahrenheit) and moving around in the deep, soft snow that blankets Lapland this time of year.
Cold temperatures can make it hard to keep equipment functioning properly and strain soldiers’ physical and mental well-being. After a long day of exertion, even simple tasks like eating and drinking, which are critical in these conditions to replenish calories and stay hydrated, may feel daunting.
The unforgiving Arctic environment can be as dangerous as the enemy, especially for soldiers who aren’t trained for such conditions, Aikio told Business Insider, warning that unfamiliar terrain and extreme cold can have a huge impact. Even well-trained units aren’t immune, he added. In severe cold, the environment still takes a heavy toll.
Lähdekorpi, the Finn, said the cold weather could distract soldiers in combat, leaving them more focused on getting warm than on fighting the enemy.
Slow movements
The persistent deep snow in the winter creates significant mobility challenges for soldiers. In the course, they learn to traverse the forest on skis and snowmobiles, even using these tools to conduct an assault against a simulated enemy force during the second phase of the training.
Lemelin, the Canadian, said survival in the Arctic is directly linked to movement. Mobility is far slower and more physically demanding than in other places, he said. Snow is constant and effectively part of the enemy.
That slower pace isn’t a drawback. Sweating in extreme cold can be dangerous, as moisture can freeze, so soldiers are trained to move deliberately, take frequent breaks, and wear layers they can remove as conditions change.
When soldiers start moving, they should be a little cold, Aikio said. After roughly 15 minutes on skis, units typically stop to shed layers.
Keeping clothes dry
Keeping clothes and gear dry is another challenge soldiers face in the Arctic. Getting wet — a frequent occurrence in this region with all the snow and hidden sources of water — forces them to expend more energy to warm up.
Soldiers wear fishnet fabric and wool as their layers and carry extra clothing in their backpacks. They dry clothing by hanging it on makeshift wooden tripods or placing it near the fire or in warm tents.
For wet boots, which Lähdekorpi said are the hardest to dry, soldiers crumple up newspaper and shove it inside to absorb moisture.
While the harsh environment poses a different threat to soldiers than enemy artillery fire, it’s still treacherous because cold-weather casualties before the fight even starts can put one side at a significant disadvantage, Lemelin said.
Considering the substantial challenges of operating in the Arctic, soldiers and course leadership view the training as a critical means of preparing them for the frozen battlefields NATO forces could one day face. The cold is an obstacle, but not an insurmountable wall; the aim is to learn to adapt and ultimately thrive in these brutal conditions.
“Embrace the cold,” Lemelin said, “and then warm up when there’s the opportunity.”
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