Soldiers from NATO Allies test their mettle in the freezing cold of Lapland as they learn winter survival skills from Finnish instructors.
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In Lapland, northern Finland, where temperatures regularly drop below -20° Celsius, instructors from the Finnish Defence Forces’ Jaeger Brigade regularly run different winter warfare courses for military personnel from various NATO member countries.
Being able to face extreme weather conditions is a crucial skill to have for NATO troops, particularly in a cold weather environment. Training helps soldiers who have never had the chance to endure such harsh conditions to get acquainted with the environment, understand and overcome the challenges it poses, and get familiar with it, so they can enhance their ability to defend the Alliance’s territory in all climate conditions, should the need arise.
These courses range from basic survival skills to more advanced scenarios. Here, a group of Allied soldiers coming from France, the United Kingdom and the United States test their mettle as they face Arctic conditions for the first time in the vast, freezing cold Finnish forests, along with Finnish soldiers. Spending time with experienced Finnish trainers, they learned how to use layered clothing, protect against and treat injuries related to frostbite, build endurance in extreme conditions, make fires, develop cross-country skiing skills and rescue from the ice.
Music: Ice World by Campbell, Frozen Signs by Morgan, Pulsar by Lorantakis, Cloud Voyage by Ryan
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