RESOLUTE BAY, Nunavut, Canada - Members of the Vermont, New Hampshire, Virginia and Alaska National Guard and active-duty members of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps are participating in an Arctic training exercise with the Canadian Army.
The joint contingent traveled to Quebec and then the High North of Canada, scheduled to arrive in Resolute Bay March 4 for the Guerrier Nordique exercise.
"This is an opportunity for interoperability with various U.S. forces to develop our skills and establish best practices to operate and survive in these austere conditions," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jason Beams, the officer in charge for the U.S. group. "The 2nd Canadian Division and 35th Brigade Group have been great partners and are very knowledgeable. I'm looking forward to another great exercise this year and continuing to build upon our partnership."
Beams, commander for the Army Mountain Warfare School in Jericho, Vermont, returns for his fifth GN exercise with nine fellow Vermont Guard members. Another 18 New Hampshire, Virginia and Alaska Guard members are participating.
Guerrier Nordique was focused on domestic operations and responses but has become more focused on conducting combat tactics.
The Vermont National Guard started participating in the Canadian-led training event in 2012. GN provides service members with experience operating and surviving in the extreme climate of the High Arctic.
The exercise highlights the strong Canadian and U.S. military relationship while providing challenging training in a joint environment. The lessons learned from Guerrier Nordique are brought back to units across the U.S. military and help inform future Arctic-focused decisions.