It wasn’t winter, but it was still Alaska. Monday, July 11, lightning struck around the Far North training camp, in Black Rapids, in the heart of this state in the north of the United States. The torrential storm swelled the torrents to the point that a bridge on the road leading to Fairbanks was washed away. No evacuation by ambulance was possible, unless there was a six-hour detour by road, no service by helicopter was possible because of the too low ceiling: the climbing training for the soldiers of the 11e Alaskan Airborne Division was cancelled. The instructors showed imagination, and it was in the dormitories that the young recruits learned to tie knots and cling to the columns of their bedsteads. It was between two fir trees, outside, that another team of students simulated the theoretical crossing of a river on raging waves.
Beyond the irony of the situation, the issue is strategic. The war in Ukraine and the return of the Russian threat have changed the game, as instructor Karl Slingerland, 42, explains. “The American army must relearn how to move in a cold universe”, says this veteran of the Black Rapids training school. This Alaskan lover examined Finnish guerrilla strategy against the Soviets at the start of the “Winter War” (1939-1940). The latter, although very superior in number, had first found themselves stuck on the rare roads of the Far North, with unwieldy equipment. The American army, to also be able to fight in the blizzard and without lines of communication, must abandon too heavy equipment for light amphibious and all-terrain vehicles. Arctic school has become serious business. “All mountain schools must shed the reputation of being adventure training”explains instructor Slingerland.
The US Army accepted our request to attend a few days of training. America wants Russians to know it is ready; the army plays on transparency, especially as it works on these subjects with its allies, the Nordic and Alpine European countries. “I am very proud of our mission and our soldiers”adds John Pennell, former soldier who guides us during the stay.
Creation of a specialized division
Washington decided to create a division specializing in Arctic and mountain combat, reviving the 11e airborne division, which had distinguished itself during the Second World War in the Philippines. Until mid-June, it was a unit without its own decision-making autonomy, oddly coupled with Hawaii. The jungle and the glaciers under the same command, the situation was a bit absurd. “The division, refocused in Alaska, will become operational again”rejoices John Pennell.
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