*This article was edited with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Final review and editing were conducted by authorized DoW personnel to ensure accuracy, clarity, and compliance with DoW policies and guidance.
*The contents of this article do not represent the official views of, nor are they endorsed by, the U.S. Army, the Department of War, or the U.S. government.
Published 12/31/2025
By Chief Warrant Officer Three Kevin J. Fisher
The extreme cold is relentless. It saps strength from the strongest Soldiers and makes the human body run on overdrive to continue surviving. It hurts just to exist in places that make exposed skin feel like hot needles are being driven into the muscle. And to make it worse, our equipment feels the same effects.
The majority of our engineer equipment was designed to operate in various conditions; however, it can be expected that in large-scale combat operations (LSCO), we may find ourselves fighting in environments outside temperate conditions. Historically, the Engineer Regiment has found itself in near-polar conditions and has been forced to learn cold-region effects in combat. In the current strategic environment, it is becoming more apparent that some armed conflict will occur north of the Arctic Circle. It would benefit the Army if all theater engineer operations focused on extreme cold training. We do not want to suffer from extensive learning curves in the next LSCO battlefield.
Long start-up times and drastically shortened maintenance windows can directly decrease combat effectiveness. In the frequent and likely event of severe weather, combat operations will grind to a halt unless the force is specifically tailored for extreme cold environments. Another facet to consider is that polar logistics is an absolute nightmare; decentralized warfare will be exponentially important. We can see the historical significance in many examples, but the Battle of Attu is highly relevant.
In the Pacific Theater of World War II, the Japanese Empire invaded the American territory of Alaska by way of the Aleutian Islands. American forces deployed to prevent the Japanese from island hopping with little resistance from the Alaskan mainland. It is documented that the Japanese and American forces were ill-prepared for the extreme environment. The severe cold, constant precipitation, and isolation are credited with several suicides within the Japanese forces.1
The culminating battle across these islands took place on the island of Attu. The U.S. forces were unprepared for the climate; certain units were deployed with the expectation of operating in the tropical climate of the southern Pacific—only to find themselves in the harsh subarctic Aleutian Islands. The Battle of Attu became a grueling contest of endurance, testing which force could operate better in cold and wet climates. This contest came to a head when the U.S. Army Reserve engineers had established a foothold on the island with an overall objective of removing all remaining Japanese forces. However, a surprise early-morning bonzai charge by the enemy led to brutal hand-to-hand and bayonet combat behind the front lines.
Ultimately, all Japanese forces were eliminated, but the U.S. Army Reserve units also suffered losses.2 From a modern perspective, the lesson learned is that any force capable of operating efficiently in austere, cold environments will possess a competitive advantage. Theoretically, it can be argued that the environment can be a force multiplier if adequately considered in planning and training.
Alternatively, a modern example can be seen in the Antarctic. McMurdo Station, Antarctica, is arguably the United States' oldest example of an expeditionary base camp. The station was founded in 1957 by the U.S. Navy Seabees a few decades after the U.S. expeditions led by Admiral Byrd and has operated continuously through the present day.3 The National Science Foundation (NSF) currently administers and operates the station with logistical support from the Air National Guard through Operation Deep Freeze. The 249th Prime Power Battalion (D249EN) was recently deployed in response to a United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) request for assistance, and an analysis of the station was conducted. Many issues affecting the operations at McMurdo can reasonably be expected to be similar to any polar armed conflict. The extreme and fast-moving weather wreaks havoc on heavy equipment and internal combustion engines. Fuel quality is also a significant constraint; modern engines require high-quality fuels. The extreme cold causes fuels and oils to quickly degrade outside of useable thresholds.
Based on the analysis conducted by D249EN, a large portion of the utility vulnerabilities resulted from sub-par construction techniques. The extreme environment was quicker to exploit these vulnerabilities. This is an explicit example of the need for Engineer Soldiers to be proficient in the most current construction methods and techniques. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) partnership with NSF could be a valuable knowledge resource for capitalizing on cold-region engineering. Despite its exclusive focus on scientific research, the agency oversees multiple long-duration stations in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.
Another example of the detrimental effects of neglecting extreme cold-weather considerations engineering planning is seen in the compromised performance of power generation systems. Some U.S. generators need to operate on modified schedules because of snow build-up. This was learned on the ground in theater and has severe repercussions in the tactical environment.
There is a sense of urgency when discussing cold regions and Arctic warfare in the Department of War (DoW). The Arctic Circle has historically been unnavigable and limited in strategic value. However, new shipping lanes and accesses are becoming contested as the ice cap shrinks, especially considering the polar oil excursions Russia invested heavily in along their northern border. The Army understands this and has reactivated the 11th Airborne Division as arctic warfighters stationed in Alaska. Additionally, the United States redesignated Thule Airbase as Pituffik Space Base in the far northern reaches of Greenland to serve as a first line of defense against potential hostile incursions via the North Pole routes or the Northwest Passage.
The U.S. Army Northern Warfare Training Center conducts several cold-weather orientation courses during which operations are reevaluated according to how cold it gets. Their doctrine is based on U.S. Army Alaska (USARAK) publication 385-4.4 Specifically, operations conducted at -40°F or below must solely focus on life support functions. These temperatures are typical at high latitudes, even during the summer months.
A recurring phrase in these publications—"if engineer support is available."5—reveals there is a noticeable gap in engineering literature that specifically addresses operations in cold-weather environments. There are no engineer-focused procedural publications for cold regions. From a doctrinal viewpoint, the Army will learn these lessons on the ground.
The strategic importance of arctic warfare is high on the list of priorities for wargame planners, as evidenced by the examples previously discussed. However, the requirements of engineer units cannot be ignored. The term "engineer support" encompasses a wide range of functions, each of which takes on distinct characteristics in cold-region operations. Units need to begin training their mission-essential tasks in these environments. Otherwise, the learning curve could prove fatal—especially in environments where both the enemy and the elements pose a lethal threat to U.S. forces operating in the extreme cold. In the words of Roald Amundsen, the first person to reach the South Pole: "I may say that this is the greatest factor: the way in which the expedition is equipped, the way in which every difficulty is foreseen, and precautions taken for meeting or avoiding it. Victory awaits him who has everything in order—luck, people call it. Defeat is certain for him who has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time: this is called bad luck."6
Endnotes:
1 History.com Editors. “Battle of Attu.” Accessed February 27, 2025.
https://www.history.com/articles/battle-of-attu
2 Ibid
3 Robinson, L. (2022, February 28). Looking back at McMurdo’s history. The Antarctic Sun Science
News. https://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/4711/
4 Northern Warfare Training Center, Pamphlet 385-4. “Risk Management Guide for Cold Weather Operations.” 11th Airborne Division.
5 Ibid
6 Amundsen, R. “Roald Amundsen: My life as an Explorer.” Directed by [name], University Microfilms International, 1979.
Chief Warrant Officer Three Fischer was resident in WOILE at Fort Leonard Wood with 1st Engineer Brigade at the time of writing. He is now the Innovation technician for the 75th US Army Innovation Command. He has an Executive Masters of Business Administration from the Naval Postgraduate School.