SODANKYLÄ, Finland — In the unforgiving cold of the Arctic Circle, the U.S. Army’s 11th Airborne Division is battling more than just a simulated enemy. Temperatures plummet to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, weapons freeze, and even skin exposed for a moment too long can suffer instant frostbite. This is Arctic Forge, a multinational war game testing America’s ability to operate in one of the world’s harshest environments.
“Fighting in the Arctic sucks. You’re miserable, you’re cold, you’re wet. Everything you’re trying to do is trying to kill you,” said Col. Christopher Brawley, commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
American troops, dubbed "cold weather warriors," are locked in a high-stakes military exercise with Finnish forces. The scenario is fictional, but the geopolitical tension is real. The training simulates a crisis in which a NATO ally comes under attack. The invader is unnamed, but all signs point to Russia, which has been expanding its Arctic footprint for years.
The Pentagon sees this icy frontier as a potential flashpoint. As the region thaws due to climate change, previously inaccessible oil, gas and shipping routes are opening—turning the Arctic into a geopolitical prize. In response, the Department of Defense has reoriented its strategic priorities to ensure troops are prepared to fight in this extreme cold.
Two days before the simulated invasion, Finnish troops from the Jaeger Brigade headed into the woods to hide. They play the role of the red team, the not-so-hypothetical enemy. The Americans, the blue team, are tasked with hunting them down.
“This isn’t just a game of tactics,” Brawley said. “It’s a battle for survival.”
Soldiers must know how to operate in complete darkness, stay warm with layered gear, and fire weapons that must be kept cold to function properly. A warm rifle brought inside and returned to the field may freeze and fail. Even a basic move like touching a charging handle with a bare nose can cause instant frostbite.
“You touch the gun the wrong way, and you’re going to get frostbite,” Brawley said. “If you’re not prepared, the environment alone can take you out.”
Weeks before the exercise, U.S. soldiers trained in Alaska, including troops from the 10th Mountain Division. They learned to move, shoot and survive in brutal weather—skills critical for this joint mission.
The 11th Airborne Division, once deactivated for decades, was resurrected in 2022 with a new purpose: give the U.S. military a serious Arctic capability. Brawley leads a force of 3,200 based in Fairbanks, Alaska. He’s no stranger to hostile terrain, having spent much of his two-decade Army career as a special forces officer in Iraq and Afghanistan.
According to Brawley, the "rules of the North" are clear: Be self-sufficient—no one is coming to help. Accept that everything takes longer. Winter is always coming. And everything breaks at minus 40 degrees.
To navigate this unforgiving terrain, the Army is investing in next-generation tools. Among them is the CAT-V, or Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicle—a tracked, insulated transport designed to move soldiers and supplies through ice, snow and subzero hell. It floats on water, powers through snowdrifts, and even serves as a mobile command post.
Lt. Col. Daniel Ludwig, a squadron commander with the 11th, said soldiers love the new vehicle.
“It has real tactical advantage. You can put troops where they’re least expected," he said.
The CAT-V made its overseas debut during Arctic Forge. Loaded onto a C-17 cargo plane, it was flown from Alaska to Finland in a matter of hours. Ludwig led his troops from the CAT-V during the exercise.
“Absolutely closer to the action,” he said. “I can move as the situation develops.”
As U.S. and Finnish forces squared off in laser-based combat simulations, the focus shifted from mobility to strategy. Using real-time intelligence and deception tactics—including dummy minefields—the Americans funneled Finnish armor into a kill zone, taking out most of their tanks in the opening hours.
Inside the American command tent, 2nd Lt. Emily Reif monitored the battlefield. At just 23 years old, the Texas native is responsible for advising commanders on enemy movements.
“My job is to assess what the enemy is going to do,” she said. “So he can make decisions on the ground.”
The command tent, warmed by a constant supply of firewood, must stay mobile in case it’s discovered.
“If we get targeted, we jump,” Reif said. “We have to keep doing the analysis while on the move.”
Despite initial successes, the Americans didn’t win every battle. A Finnish counterattack exploited a weak river crossing and overran a defensive position. But U.S. forces quickly regrouped, launched a counteroffensive and held the town of Sodankyla.
“There’s no declared winner,” said Brawley. “That’s not the point. The mission is to test tactics—and to send a message.”
For Finland, that message has been nearly a century in the making. During World War II, the outgunned Finnish army held off the Soviet Red Army for months in what became known as the Winter War. Their tactics—dressed in white, gliding on skis, striking enemy convoys—are still studied by U.S. forces today.
“They developed what they call ‘motti tactics,’” Brawley said. “Cutting up long Russian convoys into small pieces and letting the cold finish the job.”
Finland, now a full NATO member, shares an 800-mile border with Russia. Every Finnish man must serve in the military. For American troops, learning from their Finnish counterparts is as important as practicing their own playbook.
The Pentagon knows that if you can’t fight in this environment, you’ve already lost.
In the Arctic, the bullets may be fake—but the stakes are as real as they get.
