U.S. and Japanese Forces Conduct Extreme Cold Training to Prepare for Arctic Warfare.

U.S. Army and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force units are conducting Exercise North Wind 26 in Hokkaido, testing combat readiness in extreme winter conditions. The drills underscore the allied ability to fight and sustain operations on Japan’s northern flank even in Arctic-like environments.

U.S. and Japanese forces are deep into North Wind 26, a demanding winter exercise unfolding across Hokkaido that deliberately turns snow, ice, and extreme cold into the primary adversary. Conducted from January 20 to February 3, the exercise brings together U.S. Army Japan and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) across training areas including Camp Makomanai and the Hokudai-en Hokkaido Large Training Area, with the clear objective of sharpening combat readiness and bilateral interoperability under severe climatic stress. More than a seasonal training event, North Wind 26 sends a strategic signal that allied forces remain ready to operate and fight in Japan’s northern approaches even when winter conditions would otherwise be expected to halt large-scale military activity.
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U.S. Army paratroopers from the 11th Airborne Division and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers conduct airborne, ski, fire support, and helicopter operations during Exercise North Wind in Hokkaido, demonstrating allied readiness to fight and sustain combat operations in extreme cold, deep snow, and Arctic-like conditions (Picture source: U.S. DoW).

At the center of the U.S. ground component are paratroopers from the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, seen conducting a mass tactical airborne operation into Hokudai-en on January 22. That single vignette captures the exercise’s operational logic: seize key terrain rapidly, then survive and maneuver in an environment that punishes slow sustainment and road-bound movement. The exercise also carries a multinational dimension, with Canadian Army personnel integrating with U.S. and JGSDF troops during cold-weather medical familiarization. This aspect is operationally significant because casualty care timelines expand dramatically in sub-zero conditions, where wind chill, snow depth, and icing complicate everything from first aid to rotary-wing evacuation.

North Wind 26 is also an old-school mobility exercise in the most serious sense of the term. U.S. and JGSDF soldiers deliberately built skiing proficiency as a core infantry skill. Far from ceremonial, ski mobility restores tactical freedom by enabling silent movement away from plowed routes, sustaining dismounted tempo across deep snow, and allowing the repositioning of crew-served weapons and supplies without dependence on vehicles. For light infantry formations, skis are not an accessory but a force multiplier that preserves maneuver when wheeled and even tracked assets are constrained by snowdrifts, frozen ground infrastructure, and limited recovery support.

Fire support training provided the lethal backbone of the exercise. U.S. paratroopers from the 3-509th prepared and employed the M252A1 81 mm mortar while Japan Ground Self-Defense Force units conducted parallel drills with their 120 mm rifled towed mortars. The 81 mm mortar remains central to light infantry operations because of its portability, responsiveness, and ability to deliver suppression, smoke, and illumination under austere conditions. With a maximum range approaching 6 km depending on ammunition, and a reduced weight compared to legacy variants, the M252A1 is well suited for airborne and cold-weather units where every kilogram carried through snow exacts a physical cost. The heavier 120 mm rifled mortar complements this capability by extending range and effects, delivering significantly greater explosive power and fragmentation at distances exceeding 8 km, and even farther with rocket-assisted projectiles. Together, these systems provide commanders with layered, organic indirect fire that does not rely on external artillery assets that may be slower to deploy or sustain in winter terrain.

Army aviation integration formed the third operational pillar of North Wind 26. UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from U.S. Army Aviation Battalion Japan conducted cold-weather flight operations and snow landings, rehearsing insertion, resupply, and casualty evacuation missions in whiteout-prone conditions. These flights tested pilot proficiency, ground crew coordination, and landing zone discipline in an environment where blowing snow can erase visual cues within seconds. Operationally, the Black Hawk’s value lies in overcoming the tyranny of distance imposed by winter terrain, enabling commanders to move forces and critical supplies between dispersed objectives when ground movement becomes slow, predictable, or altogether impossible.

The strategic rationale behind North Wind 26 extends well beyond seasonal training. The reactivation of the 11th Airborne Division signaled the U.S. Army’s renewed emphasis on extreme cold-weather and high-latitude operations, and Hokkaido provides terrain and climate directly relevant to Arctic and sub-Arctic contingencies. At the same time, the exercise reinforces U.S.-Japan deterrence in the Indo-Pacific’s northern flank, where geography, climate, and proximity to contested regions demand forces capable of operating year-round. North Wind 26 demonstrates that allied forces are not merely present, but trained, integrated, and ready to fight in one of the most unforgiving environments on the modern battlefield. The conclusion is clear: this exercise is a rehearsal for a winter fight where the environment is an adversary in its own right, and mastery of cold-weather warfare is a prerequisite for credible deterrence.