Norway Is on a 100-Day Mission to Test Military Limits in the Arctic
As tensions with Russia rise, 13 Norwegian soldiers have been sent to the far North to test the cold’s effects on their minds, bodies and equipment.
Norwegian soliders training in Arctic conditions.
Photograph: Norwegian Armed Forces
It’s the middle of the night in the hills of northern Norway as a group of soldiers skis silently toward an enemy target. The cold drains the batteries on the patrol leader’s night vision goggles and stiffens his skis, making them hard to maneuver. GPS is glitchy. It’s -37°C (-34.6°F) outside, but wind chill makes it feel even colder.
The soldiers, members of a Norwegian military intelligence regiment, are among 13 men taking part in an exercise to test the effect of Arctic conditions on their equipment, bodies and minds. Their mission is to survive 100 days, more than double the length of previous military expeditions to this part of Norway.