U.S. Marines with Marine Air Controls Squadron 2 operate an AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar system during exercise Formidable Shield 25 in Andoya, Norway, April 30, 2025. Formidable Shield 25 is a U.S. Navy live-fire and integrated air and missile defense exercise using NATO command and control reporting structures. Allied nations practiced, demonstrated, and assessed their ability to share common tactical pictures, share situational awareness, conduct NATO-level mission planning and engagement coordination, and exercise force-level pre-planned responses. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Anakin Smith)
U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Robert B. Sofge Jr., commanding general of Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa, and Sgt. Maj. Roland McGinnis, sergeant major of MARFOREUR/AF, pose for a photo with recruiters and poolees with Recruiting Substation Europe after a swearing-in ceremony on U.S. Army Garrison Panzer Kaserne, Stuttgart, Germany, May 1, 2025. The 12 poolees rose their right hand to recite the oath of enlistment into the U.S. Marine Corps. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Kedrick Schumacher)
Setermoen, Norway – U.S. Marines are no strangers to challenging environments, but the transition from the warm, sunny beaches of North Carolina to the icy, rugged terrain of Norway marked a unique test of their adaptability.
Traveling 4,144 miles from Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Marines and Sailors from 2d Marine Division and 2nd Marine Logistics Group journeyed to Setermoen, Norway, to participate in Exercise Joint Viking 25, a Norwegian military exercise designed to enhance Arctic cold-weather training and foster military-to-military cooperation.
“Coming straight from Camp Lejeune to Norway, you’re immediately hit by the cold, the snow, and the wind. It’s a completely different environment,” said U.S. Marine...
U.S. Marines and Sailors with Marine Rotational Force-Europe (MRF-E) prepared to deploy to Finland and integrate with the Finnish Defense Force for exercise Freezing Winds 24 by completing integrated training Oct. 15 – Nov. 28, 2024.
