NATO Arctic exercises get under way in Norway

The exercises will last until April.

More than 30,000 soldiers from 27 countries are taking part in Cold Response 2022, a Norwegian-led international military exercise in a challenging cold-weather environment in wintery Norway.

The biannual cold weather military exercise kicked off in Norway on Monday. It was cancelled in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Along with the soldiers from NATO and partner nations, a number of civilian agencies are participating in the exercises that will take place in various location until early April to test air, sea and land elements.

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According to the Norwegian Defense Force, 14,000 of the approximately 30,000 soldiers are land troops, 8,000 are sailors and navy troops, while the remaining 8,000 participants are air force troops and various staff officers based at various military bases in Norway.

Many forces have been in the country already from the autumn of 2021 to train and prepare for the exercise, among them U.S. Marines with II Marine Expeditionary Force who conducted force on force training in Setermoen in early March.