The U.S. National Guard conducts exercises to develop combat skills in severe winter conditions in preparation for a military confrontation in the Arctic. When the ice melts, the waterways there become more navigable, and countries like China and Russia increase their military presence.. Military Times writes about the new stage of the exercises called "

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“If you look at a map from the North Pole, you can see how close all these countries are. - said Army General Dan Hokanson, head of the National Guard Bureau. — And you also see the expanses of the Arctic. And as we watch temperatures rise and the subsequent access to the Arctic, some of the scenarios that almost no one has worked on before, given their complexity. Now we are starting to see countries moving into these zones..

And there will be competition.”.

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In addition to adversaries such as Russia and China, NATO allies such as Norway operate in the Arctic, countries that the US would be obliged to support in the event of a confrontation.

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During his visit to the training site, Hokanson conducted some training in live firing from the M777 howitzer, one of the NATO weapons that helps repel the Russian invasion of Ukraine..