U.S. Army Spc. Hunter Klemens of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment snowshoes over a lake March 18, 2024, after a jump near Bardufoss, Norway. (Avery Cunningham/U.S. Army)
Alaska-based U.S. soldiers on an exercise in Norway carried out a rare flight over the North Pole and parachuted into the Arctic this week, all on short notice as a showcase of the Army’s ability to move quickly.
The paratroopers from the 11th Airborne Division arrived in northern Norway on Monday morning, touching down in a region where the U.S. and other allies have dispatched thousands of troops to practice defending against Russian attack.
“We have to, as the only Arctic airborne brigade in the Army, be able to deploy out of Alaska; anywhere in the Indo-Pacific, anywhere in the Arctic, anywhere in Europe,” Col. Jimmy Howell, from the 11th Airborne Division’s 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), told soldiers ahead of the jump, an Army statement said.
“No one else is trained and equipped to do what we do,” he added.
Arctic Shock, which includes about 130 U.S. soldiers and 100 others from the Norwegian armed forces, hit the ground with field training designed to demonstrate American preparedness to defend the High North, the Army said.
Soldiers from the U.S. Army's 11th Airborne Division descend into the Norwegian Arctic on March 18, 2024, near Bardufoss. The jump was part of NATO's exercise Arctic Shock. (Avery Cunningham/U.S. Army)
U.S. Army paratroopers from the 11th Airborne Division jump onto Norway's Lake Takvatnet on March 18, 2024. The jump followed an over-the-pole flight from Alaska, showcasing the 11th Airborne Division's capability to insert troops into the Arctic. (Avery Cunningham/U.S. Army)
U.S. Army Spc. Andrew Hayes, left, and Spc. Christopher Bryant, infantrymen in the 11th Airborne Division, provide security after a parachute jump near Bardufoss, Norway, March 18, 2024. (Avery Cunningham/U.S. Army)
The exercise, which will last until Friday, builds on a series of operations in the Arctic in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Navy SEALs and Army Green Berets joined with other allied commandos and a fast-attack submarine in the Arctic Circle.
And last week, an exercise led by the Marine Corps that involved 20,000 troops wrapped up after two weeks.
The Arctic push comes as NATO has expanded, with the addition of Finland last year and Sweden this year. Both of those Nordic states have advanced militaries.
But their accession also enlarges the area the U.S.-led alliance is responsible for defending should either country come under attack. The various drills also are being carried out against a backdrop of the High North’s growing strategic value.
As sea ice melts, the possibility of accessing new shipping lanes and putting more undersea natural resources within reach is opening up.
The Kremlin has sought to fortify its position in the region, with numerous military bases now in operation. Russia also has made extensive territorial undersea claims.
