WEBVTT 00:00.050 --> 00:02.161 OK , uh , good afternoon . My name is 00:02.161 --> 00:04.328 Lieutenant Colonel Schilling . My call 00:04.328 --> 00:06.272 signs 5 . I'm a B-22 pilot , but I 00:06.272 --> 00:08.770 serve here at MarR4 UAF as the G37 00:08.770 --> 00:10.937 training exercises lead . I'm also the 00:10.937 --> 00:13.270 lead exercise planner for Cold Response . 00:13.270 --> 00:16.430 Cold Response is a Norwegian-led , uh , 00:16.889 --> 00:20.149 uh , exercise conducted with 00:20.409 --> 00:23.450 20 allies and partners , um , in the 00:23.450 --> 00:25.930 high north up in and around the Arctic 00:25.930 --> 00:28.010 Circle , mostly in Norway , Sweden , 00:28.049 --> 00:30.729 and Finland . Um , to train the 00:30.729 --> 00:34.220 alliance to work together to respond to 00:34.220 --> 00:37.040 any aggression or threats , well , um , 00:37.299 --> 00:39.410 there's some things you can do in any 00:39.580 --> 00:41.580 climb or place when you get there , 00:41.580 --> 00:43.747 right ? You can somebody can point you 00:43.747 --> 00:45.691 at the enemy and you can fire your 00:45.691 --> 00:47.858 weapon , uh , but there's other things 00:47.858 --> 00:50.080 that really need to work , it be set up 00:50.080 --> 00:52.247 and ready to work when you get there , 00:52.247 --> 00:51.689 right ? If , if you're planning on 00:51.689 --> 00:53.856 falling in on equipment that's already 00:53.856 --> 00:55.856 prepositioned . That that equipment 00:55.856 --> 00:58.078 needs to be prepositioned and validated 00:58.078 --> 01:00.022 that it's gonna work in theater if 01:00.022 --> 01:01.967 you're a marine stationed in North 01:01.967 --> 01:03.856 Carolina , you don't get a lot of 01:03.856 --> 01:05.911 opportunities to get on , uh , cross 01:05.911 --> 01:08.078 country skis or uh live and work in in 01:08.078 --> 01:10.189 subzero conditions for weeks on end . 01:10.189 --> 01:12.279 You gotta practice that . Uh , other 01:12.279 --> 01:14.390 things are more technical in nature , 01:14.390 --> 01:16.279 right ? So we're working with our 01:16.279 --> 01:18.279 allies , and that means our systems 01:18.279 --> 01:20.168 need to communicate . If I spot a 01:20.168 --> 01:19.400 target , I need to be able to 01:19.400 --> 01:21.400 communicate that to the shooter who 01:21.400 --> 01:23.511 might not be an American , right ? It 01:23.511 --> 01:25.789 might be a member of the NATO alliance . 01:25.789 --> 01:27.622 We need to build those systems , 01:27.622 --> 01:29.678 validate that they work under threat 01:29.678 --> 01:31.789 conditions , uh , and you really need 01:31.789 --> 01:33.900 that to be working before you show up 01:33.900 --> 01:33.360 in theater , uh , otherwise you're 01:33.360 --> 01:35.527 gonna have to separate those things by 01:35.527 --> 01:37.304 time and space in order to keep 01:37.304 --> 01:39.360 everybody safe , so . The purpose of 01:39.360 --> 01:41.750 the exercise is , uh , really two 01:41.750 --> 01:43.806 things , right ? One , to , to build 01:43.806 --> 01:45.861 that readiness , that shared trust , 01:45.861 --> 01:48.099 that shared , uh , uh , understanding , 01:48.349 --> 01:51.099 doctrine , technical acumen in the 01:51.099 --> 01:53.155 alliance , right ? Take the alliance 01:53.155 --> 01:55.210 from words on paper to , to a fact , 01:55.210 --> 01:57.830 and then , uh , to communicate both to 01:57.830 --> 02:00.589 our own population and to anybody who 02:00.589 --> 02:02.756 might threaten the alliance that we're 02:02.756 --> 02:04.867 ready , we're ready today . Uh , it's 02:04.867 --> 02:06.922 not easy , right ? It takes , uh , a 02:06.922 --> 02:09.145 year's worth of planning . Uh , it also 02:09.145 --> 02:11.240 takes , uh , action at the highest 02:11.240 --> 02:13.919 level , right ? So NATO is a 02:13.919 --> 02:15.919 multinational organization that has 02:15.919 --> 02:17.975 been negotiated over years . Uh , it 02:17.975 --> 02:20.279 takes building headquarters , um , and 02:20.279 --> 02:22.279 then at the end of the day it takes 02:22.279 --> 02:24.830 practice , right ? So , um , you take 02:24.830 --> 02:26.497 all that doctrine , all those 02:26.497 --> 02:28.552 agreements , and you , you put those 02:28.552 --> 02:30.800 people together . Um , a lot of it is 02:30.800 --> 02:32.856 that we've agreed on the same battle 02:32.856 --> 02:35.022 rhythm , right ? So when we identify a 02:35.022 --> 02:37.270 target , who does that that that go 02:37.270 --> 02:39.548 back to ? When does that meeting occur ? 02:39.548 --> 02:41.659 What information do they need at that 02:41.659 --> 02:41.520 meeting , and then who can ultimately 02:41.520 --> 02:44.070 make a decision to declare something 02:44.070 --> 02:47.080 hostile , to , to use a weapon system 02:47.080 --> 02:49.279 against that , um , and that needs to 02:49.279 --> 02:51.740 be done in the alliance , right ? So 02:51.960 --> 02:54.127 these were actions may be taking place 02:54.127 --> 02:55.880 in other people's countries by 02:55.880 --> 02:57.936 Americans or by a third party . Uh , 02:58.350 --> 03:00.517 within the alliance , right , so the , 03:00.517 --> 03:02.739 the , to answer your question , the way 03:02.739 --> 03:04.628 the alliance is able to work in a 03:04.628 --> 03:06.850 unified command structure is because we 03:06.850 --> 03:09.128 built that doctrine and we practice it . 03:09.128 --> 03:12.410 Uh , you need a a shared trusted chain , 03:12.490 --> 03:14.712 right , so we have secure networks that 03:14.712 --> 03:16.934 we move information across so that they 03:16.934 --> 03:18.934 know that that data has come from a 03:18.934 --> 03:21.046 trusted source , moved across trusted 03:21.046 --> 03:23.379 pathways and arrived at them and intact , 03:23.379 --> 03:25.657 uh , and then you need , uh , software , 03:25.657 --> 03:27.657 you need interpersonal trust . They 03:27.657 --> 03:29.879 need to know who they're working with , 03:29.879 --> 03:29.410 who that is on the other end of the 03:29.410 --> 03:31.577 line that they're talking to . And and 03:31.577 --> 03:33.521 that is part of what we do in this 03:33.521 --> 03:35.688 exercise , right ? um rather than wait 03:35.688 --> 03:37.577 to conflict to build that trust , 03:37.577 --> 03:39.521 practice with the leaders that are 03:39.521 --> 03:41.688 gonna be working together in the event 03:41.688 --> 03:43.799 of conflict so that that trust exists 03:43.799 --> 03:45.854 uh and not just for conflicts in the 03:45.854 --> 03:47.966 high north , but these allies are the 03:47.966 --> 03:50.188 same ones we would work with to respond 03:50.188 --> 03:52.354 to crises and have responded to crises 03:52.354 --> 03:54.521 like . Earthquakes in Turkey or crises 03:54.521 --> 03:56.688 in the in the Middle East or in the um 03:56.688 --> 03:58.910 Pacific building that trust among those 03:58.910 --> 04:01.132 people and in those networks is how you 04:01.132 --> 04:03.243 get to where you're talking about all 04:03.243 --> 04:05.354 right so a common operational picture 04:05.354 --> 04:07.521 enables speed and lethality across the 04:07.521 --> 04:09.945 alliance so instead of each ally having 04:09.945 --> 04:11.889 their individual picture of what's 04:11.889 --> 04:14.039 going on . Um , and you relying 04:14.039 --> 04:16.150 entirely on their own organic weapons 04:16.150 --> 04:18.372 systems , if we have a common picture , 04:18.372 --> 04:20.483 and I know for sure that what you see 04:20.483 --> 04:22.850 is what I see and we have a shared way 04:22.850 --> 04:25.170 to , uh , identify a weapon to target 04:25.170 --> 04:27.290 match , we can be quick , right ? I'm 04:27.290 --> 04:29.346 not being slower to check , hey , do 04:29.346 --> 04:31.401 you see what I see ? I'm not holding 04:31.401 --> 04:33.568 back prosecuting that target because I 04:33.568 --> 04:35.734 don't want to injure a , uh , friendly 04:35.734 --> 04:37.809 or or noncombatant . Uh , I know for 04:37.809 --> 04:39.976 sure that what I see is what you see , 04:39.976 --> 04:41.698 and I know for sure that I can 04:41.698 --> 04:43.920 prosecute that target . Now we can , we 04:43.920 --> 04:46.087 can , uh , outmaneuver the adversary . 04:46.087 --> 04:48.365 It's the exact same thing , right ? It , 04:48.365 --> 04:48.329 it's all about that oota loop , right ? 04:48.690 --> 04:51.059 Every both you and the adversary and 04:51.290 --> 04:53.568 across the alliance , it's the observe , 04:53.568 --> 04:55.568 orient , decide , act , right ? And 04:55.568 --> 04:57.679 whoever can do that fast is gonna out 04:57.679 --> 04:59.346 faster is gonna out cycle and 04:59.346 --> 05:01.401 outmaneuver the enemy . This will be 05:01.401 --> 05:03.623 the first time cold response 26 will be 05:03.623 --> 05:05.457 the first time . That Sweden and 05:05.457 --> 05:07.623 Finland participate in this exercise , 05:07.623 --> 05:06.950 which is a biannual exercise . We do 05:06.950 --> 05:09.109 this every 2 years , uh , as full 05:09.109 --> 05:11.130 members of the NATO alliance . Uh , 05:11.390 --> 05:13.612 Norway is a founding member , as is the 05:13.612 --> 05:15.668 United States , a founding member of 05:15.668 --> 05:17.723 the alliance . So you got the oldest 05:17.723 --> 05:17.309 members of the alliance and the newest 05:17.309 --> 05:19.031 members of the alliance , uh , 05:19.149 --> 05:22.100 executing exercise using those networks 05:22.100 --> 05:24.269 that we talked about across those 05:24.269 --> 05:26.158 countries , Norway , Sweden , and 05:26.158 --> 05:28.102 Finland , um , and that , that's a 05:28.102 --> 05:31.200 major step up and it's required . A lot 05:31.200 --> 05:34.880 of effort and frankly money spent by 05:34.880 --> 05:37.720 our allies to build NATO compatible 05:37.720 --> 05:41.040 systems to field the NATO compatible 05:41.040 --> 05:43.459 fire systems to get them pushed all the 05:43.459 --> 05:46.619 way down to the trigger puller so that 05:46.750 --> 05:48.972 like we were just talking about he sees 05:48.972 --> 05:51.083 the same thing as his leadership sees 05:51.083 --> 05:50.839 he's got confidence before he's pushing 05:50.839 --> 05:53.006 that button and pulling that trigger . 05:53.006 --> 05:55.200 So I would , I think mature is the 05:55.200 --> 05:57.119 right word , right . 05:59.149 --> 06:01.260 Whoever those powers may be , I think 06:01.260 --> 06:03.829 they made a calculation in Ukraine that 06:03.829 --> 06:06.051 the NATO alliance was vulnerable , that 06:06.051 --> 06:09.869 they could push here in Europe , and 06:09.869 --> 06:12.630 that the alliance would fracture . It's 06:12.630 --> 06:14.519 worked out exactly the opposite . 06:14.750 --> 06:17.510 Sweden and Finland made a decision to 06:17.510 --> 06:19.950 abandon years of neutrality . They 06:19.950 --> 06:22.006 participated in the exercises in the 06:22.006 --> 06:24.061 past and they've cooperated , but to 06:24.061 --> 06:26.579 formally join the alliance , use the 06:26.579 --> 06:29.049 same systems as the alliance . Uh , is 06:29.049 --> 06:31.160 what makes cold Response 26 different 06:31.160 --> 06:33.160 than any other year we've done it . 06:33.380 --> 06:37.010 What matters is capability , and we 06:37.010 --> 06:38.732 endeavor and , and have set up 06:38.732 --> 06:41.790 scenarios in cold response where , uh , 06:42.089 --> 06:44.649 we will match the nation with the right 06:44.649 --> 06:46.730 capability against the right problem 06:46.730 --> 06:48.950 set , right , so . The Finnish 06:48.950 --> 06:51.309 multi-corps lane component is going to 06:51.309 --> 06:53.309 move out against aggression against 06:53.309 --> 06:56.600 their own territory on on the snow , 06:56.619 --> 06:58.675 and that's really where they excel . 06:58.675 --> 07:00.910 They're extremely capable in those 07:00.910 --> 07:03.077 environments , but in order to do that 07:03.077 --> 07:05.243 they need to know that their ports are 07:05.243 --> 07:07.466 secure . They need some communication , 07:07.510 --> 07:09.732 command and control support . They need 07:09.732 --> 07:11.399 to know that we're capable of 07:11.399 --> 07:15.040 reinforcing them . Across the Sweden 07:15.040 --> 07:17.619 from Norway so that they can step out 07:17.799 --> 07:20.220 and know that they're not leaving their 07:20.309 --> 07:23.910 population unprotected , so we are , we , 07:23.959 --> 07:26.070 the United States are bringing to the 07:26.070 --> 07:28.237 alliance the capabilities that we have 07:28.237 --> 07:30.459 as are our allies and partners from all 07:30.459 --> 07:32.760 the nations participating in order to 07:32.760 --> 07:34.871 bring the right capability match to a 07:34.871 --> 07:37.549 given problem given by the enemy . We 07:37.549 --> 07:39.771 think of cold response as an event that 07:39.771 --> 07:41.993 begins on the 9th of March . It's not . 07:42.070 --> 07:45.709 It began in November , so we sent 110 , 07:45.750 --> 07:48.589 120 Marines to the NATO uh winter 07:48.589 --> 07:51.190 instructor course in Norway . So you've 07:51.190 --> 07:53.309 got Norwegians and and other allies 07:53.309 --> 07:55.309 teaching Marines how to teach other 07:55.309 --> 07:57.365 Marines how to operate in the cold . 07:57.470 --> 07:59.581 And right now we've got Marines doing 07:59.581 --> 08:01.692 training in similar courses in Sweden 08:01.869 --> 08:04.500 and in Finland . Uh , and then you've 08:04.500 --> 08:06.444 got Marines training Marines under 08:06.444 --> 08:08.389 supervision of those Norwegian NTO 08:08.389 --> 08:10.899 winter instructors , uh , in , in 08:10.899 --> 08:13.066 Norway , and that's how we're going to 08:13.066 --> 08:15.820 get to several 1000 Arctic weather 08:15.820 --> 08:18.019 capable troops ready to conduct the 08:18.019 --> 08:20.369 exercise . And then that gets you 08:20.369 --> 08:22.179 through January into February . 08:22.609 --> 08:24.665 February up right really right up to 08:24.665 --> 08:27.119 the exercise in March is , uh , 08:27.130 --> 08:29.630 integration training , right ? So , uh , 08:29.929 --> 08:32.690 have , uh , do live fire in a 08:32.690 --> 08:35.210 controlled environment on a range with 08:35.210 --> 08:37.210 the allies and partners at the same 08:37.210 --> 08:39.250 time , you know , have US Anglico 08:39.250 --> 08:42.049 calling for fire from Norwegian weapons 08:42.049 --> 08:44.830 systems or German weapons systems , um , 08:45.409 --> 08:48.460 that . That'll happen before we uh that 08:48.469 --> 08:50.580 that integration training all happens 08:50.580 --> 08:52.691 before we get to the LiveX but yes it 08:52.691 --> 08:55.159 relies on allies training allies .