Military Review English Edition November-December 2014 | Page 59

ARCTIC STRATEGY

to its critical lack of ability to operate in Arctic
environments.
As the members of the U.S. element learned during
participation in Operation Guerrier Nordique, when
temperatures drop to extreme lows, tasks become exponentially more difficult and in some cases impossible
to perform using standard cold-weather techniques—
such as those that may work at Fort Drum, New York
or Camp Ethan Allen, Vermont. The level of cold in
Arctic environments, especially when exacerbated
by wind and physical terrain, requires a significantly
different operational mentality and equipment design
methodology than for northern warfare.
Put simply, despite the recent steps DOD has
taken toward articulating an Arctic strategy and some
increased ֖ƗF'