Arctic & Extreme Cold Weather: AHEC Resources

The conventional Army has experimented periodically with specialized, even “boutique,” forces many of which have either been unsuccessful or quickly discarded. Airborne, Air Assault, Light, Airmobile, High Technology, Motorized, Mountain, and have all been used to describe specialized divisions or those with “niche” capabilities, yet only the first three remain in the force structure.1 Some are based largely on geography, such as units in Alaska, for instance, which built on the Eskimo scouts tradition to develop capabilities and equipment deemed useful in the Arctic. Others, such as the 2nd Infantry Division, possess a unique structure specific to its mission in Korea. Even that structure has been modified several times over the years. While some degree of specialization is necessary in order to exploit specific capabilities or weapons systems or to operate in specific environments, it carries a risk. Overspecialization can lead to suboptimization, and specialized units often find themselves overtasked. An alternative solution to creating specialized units is the expansion of training capability and capacity to prepare units for the Arctic environment.1

The Korean War provides an excellent case from which to study preparation for future conflict. It was a no-notice war for which neither the nation nor the military were prepared. Like almost all wars, it was expected to be a short one. The US Army, dramatically reduced after World War II, provided the bulk of the American ground units in a United Nations Command that eventually included units from 22 nations. The USMC had been reduced nearly to cadre status after World War II and assembling a division-size force to go to Korea stretched the Marines’ existing resources. The war also featured operations in mountainous terrain with a limited road network, in extreme cold weather, producing near Arctic conditions. Training for cold-weather operations at the individual level was inadequate across the board throughout Eighth Army. Most troops did not have cold-weather training during normal pre-combat training or pre-deployment training in the United States, and they received very little upon arrival in Korea. Efforts to indoctrinate soldiers for cold-weather operations began once the first winter set in, but that training needed was frequently repeated. The Army has had little experience operating in this extreme environment, but that environment must be mastered in order to operate in it.