Members of the U.S. Air Force 673rd Security Forces Squadron at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, shown here on March 26, 2026, have developed an Arctic Combat Development Course it hopes to offer to more service members by next winter. (Eli A. Rose/U.S. Air Force)
An Air Force security team in Alaska is developing a new course focusing on operating in austere Arctic combat environments.
The U.S. Air Force 673rd Security Forces Squadron at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson near Anchorage created the Arctic Combat Development Course last winter, and it hopes the Pentagon accredits it by next winter as an official course for airmen.
The image of airmen in combat gear riding snowmobiles through the winter landscape around the sprawling base is eye-catching, but the planned course covers a wide variety of topics, including medical treatment in Arctic field environments, support and logistics, and weapons use.
Winter conditions in the Arctic provide many challenges, including temperatures below -20 degrees Fahrenheit, and darkness — the time the sun is above the horizon — is measured in minutes rather than hours. Other parts of the year include nearly endless sunlight in the summer, shifting terrain and interactions with a variety of wildlife depending on the season.
“The course is tailored to enhance and prepare individuals who operate in an Arctic environment more than 50% of the year,” said Staff Sgt. Logan Franks, an expeditionary skills instructor with 673rd Security Forces Squadron.
Senior Airman Richard Robicheau starts his snowmachine on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, on March. 26, 2026. Members of the U.S. Air Force 673rd Security Forces Squadron have developed an Arctic Combat Development Course it hopes to offer to more service members by next winter. (Eli A. Rose/U.S. Air Force)
The base already offers Arctic Resiliency Training to prepare service members for working and living in a potentially hostile natural environment.
The new course is meant to fill what the squadron says is a critical gap — ground combat skills in the Arctic.
With increased activity from Russia and China in the waters and air around the Arctic, the U.S. military has increased its presence. That includes reactivating and stationing the Army’s 11th Airborne Division to Alaska, and expanding roles for the Air Force and Coast Guard in protecting U.S. territory and waters.
“Instead of emphasizing only endurance in the cold, the course equips participants with the tactical skills needed to fight and win combat scenarios in extreme Arctic conditions, where the environment itself can be an adversary,” according to the squadron’s plan for the course.
The medical training includes treating hypothermia and preventing frostbite. Airmen are taught how to create a shelter in the natural environment when they cannot continue movement. Snowmobile and snowmachine operations are part of the coursework, as are cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
A day is spent on weapons and tactics, including cold-weather maintenance and firing, small-unit maneuvers using snow for cover, and building fighting positions into frozen ground.
The course has a final day of “a scenario-based exercise,” including a simulated combat patrol, followed by an after-action debrief.
“Going into the course, I had a baseline knowledge of Arctic survival,” said Senior Airman Trace Langston, a security squadron member. “I feel significantly better equipped not just to survive, but fight in the Arctic.”
Airman 1st Class Ryan Smith drives a snowmachine over a short hill on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, on March. 26, 2026. Members of the U.S. Air Force 673rd Security Forces Squadron have developed an Arctic Combat Development Course it hopes to offer to more service members by next winter. (Eli A. Rose/U.S. Air Force)
