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FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Cold doesn’t enter the body; warmth leaves it. At 30 degrees below zero, heat loss occurs rapidly which can result in frostbite on exposed skin within minutes. Operators with 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) spent weeks in such conditions.
From Feb. 28 – March 17, 2022, Green Berets assigned to 10th SFG(A) conducted operations in Alaska above the Arctic Circle in support of Exercise Arctic Edge 2022.
AE22 is a U.S. Northern Command biennial exercise designed to provide high-quality and effective training for participants using the premier training locations available throughout the state.
“We traveled [from] Barrow, Alaska, which is north, and rode by snowmobile west to Wainwright, Alaska,” said a 10th SFG(A) team sergeant. “We're trying to see what the machines could do, and what the people on them could do. Our training focused on long-range movement and reconnaissance.”
The team operated north of the Brooks Range, the highest mountain range within the Arctic Circle. The route taken from Barrow to Wainwright spanned a total of 115 miles.
“Real feel [temperature] the day we left was negative 35 with coastal winds. Our estimate of the additional wind factor riding 40 to 45 miles per hour on snowmobile was negative 54,” the team sergeant added.
“There’s a thin line where military equipment just stops and you need additional equipment to survive out here,” he continued. “For example, gauntlets that protect your hands from wind [on snowmobile] or higher windshields.”
Off the Dalton Highway in the Brooks Range, another team trained and tested equipment around Coldfoot, Alaska.
“We tested the layering system we use, boots, gloves, sleds, snowmachines and batteries,” said a Special Forces communications sergeant. “Some design issues became more apparent in the cold, like plastic might freeze and become very fragile.”
He acknowledged that even though Colorado where 10th SFG(A) is based experiences cold temperatures, it’s colder in Alaska.
“Temperatures were as low as negative 30,” the communications sergeant said. “We skied 34 miles in five days towing two sleds filled with gear.”
Operating in Arctic conditions was an opportunity for the team to really dial in on what to use for winter warfare.
“The team gained another skill, another tool in the bag,” he ended.
The strategic importance of the Arctic for the U.S. will only increase as sea ice diminishes and competition for resources in the region increases.
| Date Taken: | 03.17.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 03.28.2022 16:55 |
| Story ID: | 417339 |
| Location: | FAIRBANKS, ALASKA, US |
| Hometown: | COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, US |
| Hometown: | FORT CARSON, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 159 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Special Forces operate above Arctic Circle during AE22, by SFC Anthony Bryant, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
