Arctic weather secondary to strong bonds, partnerships and alliances during Cold Response 14

Photo By Tatum Vayavananda | A Swedish soldier looks out into the small Norwegian town. Cold Response 14 brings together nearly 16,000 servicemembers from 16 nations to train high-intensity winter operations in an area half the size of Connecticut on the tip of the Northern Hemisphere, in northern Norway. The exercise pushes the international force beyond the boundaries of merely working alongside each other, emphasizing full integration at the tactical and command-staff level. Cold Response 14’s multinational and multilateral structure serves to emphasize the partnership and commitment to the global-security environment from all participating nations, with the majority of troops coming from the United States, Norway, Sweden, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and Great Britain.  

BARDUFOSS, 19, NORWAY

03.16.2014

Story by Sgt. Tatum Vayavananda 

U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa     

BARDUFOSS, Norway - Northern Norway’s harsh, unpredictable climate sets the scene for Cold Response 14, where nearly 16,000 servicemembers have gathered above the Arctic Circle to conduct high-intensity training operations and extreme cold-weather survivability techniques.

But the snowy, coastal mountainside that stages the multilateral exercise is built to integrate and promote a stronger concept than cold-weather training; the notion that, in an ever-shifting global security environment, there is strength in partnerships.

“It is very significant because, now with our experiences abroad, we are able to learn and get familiar with other nations,” said Norwegian Army Capt. Cato Antonsen, the company commander for a multinational mechanized infantry company for CDR-14. “It’s easier to go into international operations and cooperate.”

Cold Response 14 brings together 16 nations that have been working as a team since the beginning of March to train in an area half the size of Connecticut on the tip of the Northern Hemisphere. But the exercise pushes the international force beyond the boundaries of merely working alongside each other.

“The integration has actually worked well,” said U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Joel F. Schmidt, the battalion commander of 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment.

International cooperation has been integrated on a tactical level, to include a Swedish-led Multinational Brigade comprised of various countries; 2/2 Marines and Norwegians acting as a single company; simulated opposition forces augmented by British and French units; amphibious and maritime assets provided by a Dutch naval vessel; Norwegian, Canadian, and Swedish tanks moving through fjord-lined coastal roads and snow-covered countryside as a single platoon.

“I couldn’t have asked for more; I think we maybe have passed interoperability here because we are acting as a single unit and to that degree I think we are integrated,” said Schmidt, speaking of his Marine and Norwegian contingent.

Along with operating together at a tactical level, many lessons are exchanged that are not written in the training schedule, as international warriors come together to find similarities between them.

“The Norwegian Army is small but very competent. Since we are small, we tend to have fewer resources, so the combined arms, with air and ground together, are very similar to the Marine Corps,” said Antonsen.

“It’s normal for us to do this, and it doesn’t take very much effort for us to integrate,” he added.

As regional stability concerns turn into globally-networked security interests, participating countries will take advantage of their strategic friendships and learn to fight together in any contingency, in any climate, anywhere because of access and partnerships for every clime and place.

“[Integration] is a lot easier if you know the culture and have similar experiences,” said Antonsen. “We have to cooperate and do what each other are best at because we have different capacities; we want to achieve the same goals and we manage to do that in the same manner. We have small differences, but we are very similar,” he added.

Throughout the exercise, the international bonds have only become stronger.

“The multinational brigade gathered a week ago. It has been challenging but all nations have worked very hard to overcome the problems and I can say that it gets better every day as we understand each other more,” said Antonsen.

Cold Response 14 gives Marines and their international partners the unique opportunity to train against the winter elements, the next step to being able to adapt, survive and fight on any frontier. For the all the troops, practice in the Arctic environment creates proficiency with extreme conditions which bolster partnerships for future alliances.

“If anything should happen, we need support from our allies and friends, and the best way to do that is to prepare with them to fight in this climate,” said Antonsen.

The strong bonds bring technical, tactical and strategic proficiencies based on the sharing of experiences, culture and skills between all the nations. This is only possible because of the alliance that has been built by these participating nations.

“Having one nation is no longer enough; coming together as many nations to do this training so we can learn how to operate together is why we’re here,” said Canadian Army Cpl. Dany Trodel, part of the Canadian contingent participating in Cold Response 14.

“It’s important to the mission to know how the different troops work together,” said Trodel. “We can understand how they go to war. They are our allies, so if we know them, we can work with them better and do a better job.”

The personal, professional and military working relationships built upon in the exercise brings cohesion to the troops while serving as the most important part of the training.

“We learned a lot from the Norwegians, the Dutch have been rolling through, the Canadians and Swedes have showed us what they do, and they are definitely more use to the cold-weather environment than we are, so we get these pointers and it’s definitely helping us,” said U.S. Marine Cpl. Phillip Smithmyer, an amphibious assault carrier mechanic with 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion.

Exercises that focus on international cooperation, integration and interoperability now create a shared commitment to security across the world while preparing for future contingencies, should they arise.

“If we were ever to be called upon to operate as an allied force, to never have worked with them before would be an extreme difficulty and we wouldn’t know what to expect from our own partners, said Smithmyer.

“We would run into all these problems when they really matter and this training environment is necessary and beneficial for everyone here to do that.”

Cold Response 14 includes large-scale troop movements, maritime offloads and positioning, snow-covered foot and mechanized vehicle patrols, amphibious raids, an international brigade of simulated opposition forces, and multinational command-level synchronization in a 2,600 square-mile training area, from the city of Trondheim to the northern cities of Bardufuss and Soreisa. The three-week engagement will conclude March 21.

• Date Taken: 03.16.2014
• Date Posted: 03.16.2014 18:55
• Story ID: 122091
• Location: BARDUFOSS, 19, NO