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ON THE EDGE OF THE UNITED STATES IWO JIMA, on the Norwegian Sea – Among the hundreds of Marines embarking amphibious assault vehicles this week to travel from the icy sea to the icy beach, Lance Cpl. Jacob Boutte was armed with a secret weapon: long black merino wool jeans.
They were not part of the standard set of Marine Corps during their 17 years of deployment in the warmer countries of Iraq, Syria, Djibouti and southern Afghanistan. As he prepared to embark this week on one of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's most important exercises since the end of the Cold War, Corporal Boutte turned to the allies for acquire help.
"I talked to the Norwegians about what they used," he said.
"We have not fought in the cold for a long time," said Sgt. Juan Carlos Banda, platoon leader in the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
An overview of the Trident Juncture exercise in Norway and among the more than 15,000 American soldiers – most of the Marines – who participate, is a damning account of the alliance's next possible war.
The next opponent, more immediate, is closer to northern Europe: Russia.
The country's president, Vladimir V. Putin, did not hide his aversion to the encroachment of the Atlantic alliance on a territory that he considers to be part of his sphere of influence, particularly in the Baltic countries. in the Balkans.
The war in Northern Europe is totally different. This requires paying close attention to the small details, such as transporting machine gun lubricant in cold weather, as well as seismic decisions, such as moving thousands of men and women, as well as their machinery. heavy and their weapons, through fields covered with snow – something that American troops have not had to worry much for more than half a century.
The Americans are among the 50,000 Allied soldiers participating in Trident Juncture Exercise, based in Trondheim, Norway. According to Lieutenant Colonel Ben Sakrisson, the official line from there is that the war game is "entirely defensive in nature".
In an e-mail addressed to reporters before the start of the exercise, Colonel Sakrisson said Trident Juncture was "focused on ensuring the continued freedom of the nations of our allies, their partners and their citizens".
"The strongest deterrent against any adversary encroaching on the territories of our nations is a credible and well-used collective defense capability," he said.
Without proof, the Atlantic alliance does not plan to attack Russia. Nonetheless, members of the Eastern European group fear that Putin will at some point dispute his collective defense pact, according to which an attack on an ally is an attack on all.
This year, President Trump questioned the deal, putting the Atlantic alliance at risk and weakening its backbone.
The principle of 2018 Trident Juncture exercise is that Norway has been invaded by hostile "Southern forces". For the purposes of the war game, enemy invaders are mainly played by Italian, German, Dutch and British troops.
The "Forces of the North" representing NATO – the United States Navy and the Norwegian, Swedish and Canadian brigades of soldiers come to the rescue.
Last month, just days after Hurricane Florence devastated much of the southeast, the Marines and 1,500 Navy members departed Norfolk, Virginia aboard the Amphibious Assault Vessel Iwo Jima. They crossed rough seas and cold winds for 10 days on the Atlantic Ocean before arriving in Reykjavik, Iceland.
The Marines aboard the ship were prepared to practice an attack in Reykjavik before the Trident Juncture exercise in Norway, but had to cancel.
"The sea conditions were too difficult," said Monday in an interview with Admiral James G. Foggo III, Chief of Combined Allied Air Force Command based in Naples, Italy. "It's an exercise, not a war, and we decided not to do it because we did not want to overwhelm the vehicles."
The exercise started on Monday and has been spread over two days. He saw the Marines hurrying off large hovercraft aircraft that had moved troops and vehicles from Iwo Jima off the Norwegian coast to a beach. Once on land, they climbed steep hills and climbed along the roads, heading south, towards the advancing enemy forces played by the Italians.
The war game will continue until November 7 and will include simulated assaults on Norwegian cities and a ski resort. The drills will involve clandestine water crossings and battles, though, fortunately for residents, not with live fire.
This is the largest iteration of the Trident Juncture exercise since 1991, the year of the end of the Cold War. The 50,000 troops – from the 29 NATO member states, as well as Finland and Sweden – have arrived in the last 30 days, with 65 ships, 250 warplanes and more than 10,000 vehicles.
Officials said the alliance wanted to show its ability to organize a complete response to an ally's invasion from several locations within 30 days.
Russia certainly took note of this, as Moscow sent official observers to monitor the exercise. US officials said the Russians had also rented farms in the Norwegian countryside for unauthorized spying on the military tactics of the alliance.
And Russian officials said that they knew that the exercise was for them.
"All that NATO has said about the fact that Russia was not the target of Trident Juncture does not stand up," said RT, Lt. Gen. Valery Zaparenko, former chief of staff. Deputy Staff of the Russian General Staff, a government-funded TV channel. "Even if NATO says otherwise, Trident Juncture is actually preparing a large-scale armed conflict in the border regions of the Russian Federation."
The Atlantic alliance officials said Russia had no reason to worry, as long as Moscow did not act aggressively with alliance members. Admiral Foggo said the speed with which he was moving troops and war material to Norway from 29 countries "sends a message to the Russians or anyone else that might want to encroach on the sovereignty of any of our members".
During the false invasion of Norway, Italian troops largely led the multinational armored brigade. The 232nd German Mountain Infantry Battalion thundered by train. And little Montenegro sent a platoon, even after denounced by Mr Trump in July as "very aggressive people" who could "become aggressive and congratulate you, you are in World War III".
None, however, encumbered as much the effect of US marines, who threw themselves on Norwegian beaches from the water, in imitation of D-Day.
Despite all the demonstrations of strength, the troops had problems with the cold.
Two Italian soldiers suffered from hypothermia Sunday after spending the night at temperatures below freezing.
Captain Joseph O'Brien, commander of Iwo Jima, suddenly took care of heating his ship, just five months off the coast of Djibouti, to make sure it was still working. .
And the cape. Jeremy Seabridge, a Navy rifleman, said that he was focusing on the fact that his troops had to change their socks regularly to avoid feet in the trenches, caused by prolonged exposure to the cold.
"Many of them come from southern states," said Capt. Derek Hussinger, a gunner.
On Friday, just below the Iwo Jima cockpit, Colonel Eric D. Cloutier, commander of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, examined the impressive array of amphibious vehicles ready to exit his ship.
Hot or cold, he says, his Marines would do their job.
But, he added, "I'm worried about how our equipment and staff will do" with acclimatization to "Far North".
