After two decades with significant military presence and operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, several nations are now building and rebuilding military capabilities for operations in the Arctic and the High North. The geopolitical importance of this region has been discussed for years, and more nations are now developing Arctic strategies and plans for military training and operations. Russia’s new maritime doctrine, updated under the ongoing war in Ukraine, also describes their updated approach to the importance of the Arctic. This comes alongside an already increased Chinese interest in the region.
Cold weather operations (CWO) capabilities are challenging to establish at a level where interoperability requirements are met. It is not about survival, it is all about using your military skills to gain tactical advantages on the battlefield. The CWO will challenge every part of a military organisation, including staff officers and decision-makers. It is definitely not just about basic soldier skills. If units fail in preparations and planning, including operational support, they could likely add to the list of historical failures of military operations in cold weather climate. The aspect of “risk to force and risk to mission” is significant.
Research and scientific work are important for capability development. Even though it is nothing new with winter and cold weather, there are still, in 2023, a wide range of different fields relevant for research. Gaining knowledge about different human factors of mastering the harsh conditions to a further extent will naturally be most relevant for future soldiers. From a Centre of Excellence Cold Weather Operations (COE-CWO) perspective, it is important to support and take part in research on cold weather injuries. Experience and expertise on how to prevent cold weather injuries are paramount to keep soldiers combat ready in the field. When injuries occur, expertise is of vital importance for best medical treatment. If the soldiers fail to master the environment, commanders will not be able to see the effect of the available high-tech military equipment either.
In order to succeed with capability development, forces need to train on a regular basis in cold weather environments. COE-CWO will advocate for the mutual benefit of a close link between these CWO training forces and research communities. That will be substantial support to future capability development for CWO. As of today there is no way around; units need boots on the ground- and they need knowledge and skills to keep them on the ground. Further research and scientific work are a major part of this, and this special supplement represents new findings.