On Mar. 15, 2023, during exercise Guerrier Nordique 23, a joint effort between the United States and Canada resulted in the first-ever platoon movement of its kind. Thirty-seven U.S. and Canadian soldiers were tactically inserted on Arctic Ocean ice east of Little Cornwallis Island in Nunavut, Canada, via an LC-130 Hercules.
U.S. and Canadian Soldiers and U.S. Airmen participated in Guerrier Nordique 23 in Resolute Bay, Nunavut, Canada from March 6 to March 20, 2023. U.S. Soldiers and Airmen consisted mainly of National Guard units from Connecticut, New Hampshire, Utah, New York, and Vermont. U.S. Army active duty Soldiers came from the 11th Airborne Division out of Fairbanks, Alaska. Canadian Soldiers came mainly from the 35th Canadian Brigade Group. Guerrier Nordique is an annual training exercise hosted by the Canadians in different locations each year. The training usually focuses on domestic emergencies and responses. For the first time this year, the focus of the exercise focused on military tactics and lethality.
The New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing, flying with a ski-equipped C-130, played a significant role in this operation with their expertise in snow and ice landings. They were able to land on specially built skiways and ski landing areas thanks to airmen who build and maintain those runways. The LC-130H that was used in this operation was equipped with 4 by 20-foot skis.
“This is just the starting point for us to build from. We hope to expand our capacity and have more training missions like we had here with Guerrier Nordique. This exercise demonstrated the LC-130s full capability to infill and exfil tactical forces while also incorporating valuable training to our Multi-Capable Airman,” said Lt. Col. Matthew Sala, Officer-in-Charge of the 109th Airlift Wing’s Polar Camp Skiway Team and Ski Landing Area Control Officers.
After being loaded onto the LC-130 at the Canadian Armed Forces Arctic Training Center in Resolute Bay, the soldiers and airman were flown northwest to a location just east of Little Cornwallis Island where they disembarked and set a security perimeter 100 meters from the landing zone. Dressed in overwhite camouflage, these soldiers established their security positions, equipped with individual weapons, machine guns, and everything they needed to sustain themselves for up to three days in the Arctic.
“This is only the beginning,” said Canadian Army Lt. Col. Andre Morin, land component commander for Guerrier Nordique. “The partnership between the Canadians and Americans is invaluable. I would like to see this exercise grow from here and make it bigger and better. We have now confirmed that we have the ability to deliver Soldiers in a very difficult environment. Eventually, in the future, I hope to have a Canadian battalion and a company from the United States.”
Guerrier Nordique is a cold-weather training exercise for the Canadian Army that takes place in a different location each year. Resolute Bay is one of the few places that is located above the 60th parallel or the Arctic Circle. The Vermont National Guard has participated each year since 2012.
A total of 235 soldiers and Airmen participated in Guerrier Nordique. Most of the U.S. soldiers were from the National Guard in Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Utah. The 11th Airborne Division from Fairbanks, Alaska, also sent two soldiers. Canadian soldiers taking part in the exercise were mostly reservists from the 35th Canadian Brigade Group based in Eastern Quebec. Canada also sent soldiers from the 34th Canadian Brigade Group, 4th Health Services Group, and from the Canadian Rangers.
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