Cold Response

The Marine Corps next month will participate in an international exercise in Norway to practice amphibious skills in the Arctic, according to a service statement:

Exercise Cold Response is a multilateral (16 Nations) invitational exercise focused on amphibious operations and cold weather training in support of the reinforcement of Norway, utilizing Marine Corps Prepositioning Program-Norway (MCPP-N) equipment. It will be held 10-21 March 2014.

Approximately 15,000 military personnel from the United States, Norway, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland are scheduled to participate, according to the statement:

US Marine Corps participation will be roughly 440 Marines including a Ground Combat Element exercising Marine Corps capabilities (amphibious planning and execution, cold weather operations, expeditionary operations and logistics), and a Logistics Combat Element exercising Reception, Staging, Onward movement and Integration Operations utilizing Marine Corps Prepositioning Program-Norway (MCPP-N) equipment.

Marine Corps equipment (vehicles, ammunition, generators, engineering, and sustainment) is prepositioned in six caves located in central Norway. Over 3,000 pieces of equipment will be withdrawn, exercised and returned to MCPP-N during the Exercise Cold Response.