Source: United States Army
GRAYLING, Mich. — More than 450 U.S. Soldiers and Airmen braved freezing temperatures and extreme winter conditions during the winter iteration of Northern Strike 26, Jan. 26-29. An Army-sponsored, National Guard Bureau exercise, Northern Strike provides service members from across the total force the opportunity to train to meet the objectives of the Department of War’s Arctic strategy.
The winter iteration of the exercise focuses on one of the most unforgiving aspects of warfighting: surviving, moving, and fighting in extreme cold.
Held across more than 14,000 acres at the National All-Domain Warfighting Center in Northern Michigan, the event pushed service members to operate in sub-zero temperatures while training in a complex, contested environment — conditions leaders say are essential for meeting Department of War priorities and preparing for potential conflict against rival competitors.
“Northern Strike replicates the complexity of the modern environment and it’s an outstanding learning opportunity,” said U.S. Army Col. Todd Fitzpatrick, officer in charge of the Northern Strike plans team, Michigan National Guard. “It’s a very robust scenario that answers the call.”
The training includes conventional maneuver operations alongside modern threats such as unmanned aircraft systems, electronic warfare and complex opposing-force attacks. Northern Strike affords units the opportunity to perform these operations across each warfighting domain: land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace.
“We can train in all five domains of warfare simultaneously,” Fitzpatrick said.
The weather itself, Fitzpatrick said, becomes a crucial training tool.
“We experienced lows in the negative teens, not including wind chill, and several feet of snow on the ground,” he said. “That challenges movement and mobility. Service members get to test their individual equipment and weapon systems and understand what those extreme conditions have on their equipment.”
For Soldiers in the Michigan Army National Guard’s field artillery formations, the winter iteration offered a rare opportunity to train in conditions that cannot be replicated at home station.
U.S. Army Sgt. Stephen Nugent, a howitzer crew section chief with Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 119th Field Artillery Regiment, Michigan National Guard, said the cold forced his team to adapt quickly.
“What we’re able to do out here that we can’t do at home station is train effectively in cold weather and test our howitzers, vehicles and equipment,” Nugent said. “In case the state or the country needs us, we’re ready.”
Even basic artillery maintenance became a challenge in the extreme cold. To combat necessary liquids from freezing, soldiers implemented a cleaning, lubrication, and protection solvent, also known as CLP, mixture into their training routine.
“For our job, we definitely need water for cleaning the breech,” Nugent said. “It’s been tricky maintaining warm water, so we have to mix water and CLP so it doesn’t freeze over.”
Despite the hardship, Nugent said morale remained strong.
“This battery has, by far, the best morale you’ll ever find,” he said. “We’re suffering out here, but everyone’s keeping each other’s spirits up, joking around and talking with one another.”
U.S. Army Capt. James Stock, commander of Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 119th Field Artillery, Michigan National Guard, said the winter conditions provided a critical test of survivability and combat capability.
“These are some of the coldest temperatures that Michigan’s seen in a very long time,” Stock said. “It enables Soldiers and equipment to get out and not only test their capabilities, but exercise warfighting functions like survivability and field artillery tactics.”
Stock said his unit faced equipment breakdowns and logistical challenges but continued adapting to accomplish the mission.
“We’ve been troubleshooting equipment breaking down — weapon systems, vehicles, utilities,” he said. “But we’ve come up with solutions outside the box to keep driving the mission forward. We’re adapting every day.”
As units prepared for live-fire missions, the focus remained on learning under pressure.
“This is the first time we’ve set up cold-weather tents in the field,” Stock said. “We’re working through those processes, getting maintenance squared away and carrying those lessons learned throughout the exercise.”
For Fitzpatrick, that ability to operate and improve before real-world conflict is one of the exercise’s greatest opportunities.
“Northern Strike offers the opportunity to train and struggle here before we have to do it for real,” he said. “We allow units to try, fail, reset and do it all over again.”
Northern Strike is structured to support Department of War objectives, including defending the homeland and preparing forces for large-scale combat in contested environments.
Northern Strike’s summer iteration will return in August, bringing thousands of service members to Michigan, but leaders said the winter event remains uniquely valuable.