On February 5, 100 Minnesota National Guard soldiers boarded a military aircraft in Minneapolis and flew to Værnes Air Station in Norway. That same aircraft then turned around and ferried 100 Norwegian soldiers to Minnesota for a military and cultural exchange.
Once they arrived, the American soldiers were issued Norwegian military gear including skis and transported to Haltdalen where there was a military training base. The soldiers then received cold weather training from their Norwegian counterparts including how to guard against frostbite, set up tents, and kerosene heaters.
"The Norwegians are really good at communicating and knowing their soldiers," said 1st Lt. Trevor Dufault. "They were able to observe how their teams were doing and speak with them in a way that inspired confidence and openness, so they knew how far they could push their soldiers. I appreciated seeing that, and I intend to carry that with me as I move through my own military career."
From there, the National Guardsmen began a five-day field training exercise. Each day the troops faced new challenges, skiing from one location to another and receiving more advanced training. In one instance they learned a technique called skijor in which soldiers on skis are held on to a rope attached to a tracked vehicle and are then towed behind.
In the mountains, they also dug into the snow drifts to carve out snow caves to take shelter in, and sleep for the night. In another event, each troop had to jump into freezing water and practice self-rescue techniques by pushing their way out with ski poles.
"It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see how another country runs their military — how we are different, how we are similar, especially since we both deal with snow," explained Air Force Tech Sgt. Krishia Baltazar who is assigned to the Minnesota Air National Guard.
"We have a special relationship," said Norwegian Lt. Col. Kai Martin Wik who is the chief of staff of the Norwegian Home Guard. "Personally, I believe we are stronger together, both as good friends and as allies."