Exercise Cold Response 2022, the biennial Norwegian national readiness and defense exercise concluded on April 1, 2022. Exercise Cold Response ‘22 included participation from each of Norway’s military services, as well as 26 additional NATO allied nations and regional partners.
Many of the training events placed U.S. Marines alongside Norwegian service members operating in austere arctic conditions, the premier cold-weather training destination for NATO. These training events included arctic vehicle operations, avalanche prevention and response, flight operations and casualty evacuations drills which ultimately strengthen our collective warfighting capabilities in the Arctic.
Alongside other nations in addition to Norway, II MEF validated multiple capabilities in the Arctic to include amphibious landings shoulder-to-shoulder with the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps, Naval vessel embarkation and boat patrols with Italian Marines and sailors, as well as tactical combat casualty care and various live-fire events alongside the United Kingdom’s Royal Marines. II MEF Marines also practiced integrated troop transportation, trauma care and flight operations with the German Naval Infantry and United Kingdom’s Royal Navy as well as hosted demonstrations with numerous participating nations to include France.
“It’s all about interoperability in a very challenging environment,” stated Deputy Commander of Royal Netherlands Navy Maritime Forces Col. Michiel Posthumus, “We train together here to become stronger because we are all partners anyhow. It can benefit NATO in the future because we are enhancing our interoperability and our readiness, so training together makes us a better team and therefore a more effective force.”
Exercise Cold Response ‘22 provided the opportunity to refine collective capabilities across a range of military operations. 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade conducted amphibious landing operations with provided command and control for key II MEF and coalition forces afloat, including Marines and sailors aboard the Royal Netherlands Navy vessel HNLMS Rotterdam and the Italian Navy aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi. 2d Marine Division, aided by a Combat Logistics Detachment from 2d Marine Logistics Group, showcased their skills as well during arctic demolition, ground warfare and arctic navigation. Multiple squadrons within 2d Marine Aircraft Wing executed aerial refueling, troop and combat assault transport, casualty evacuation training, expeditionary air traffic control, and aircraft maintenance with various aviation platforms, including MV-22B Ospreys, KC-130J Hercules, F/A-18C Hornets, AV-8B Harriers, UH-1Y Venoms, AH-1Z Vipers, and CH-53E Super Stallions.
