International Military - Cold Response 22 is one of the largest military exercises in Europe involving troops working in a multi-domain Arctic environment. Currently, the event is hosted by Norway and attended by NATO allies and partners.
By 2022, the exercise will involve more than 30,000 troops and 200 aircraft from 27 countries. April 1 was the last day of the exercise because Cold Response ended. Cold Response 22 serves multiple purposes.
According to the Eurasian Times, one of the main goals is to prepare the NATO Response Force to increase and increase Norway's national strength. Where this is done aims to integrate the two powers so that they can work together to defend allied territory.
Cold Response 2022 also seeks to test how Norway will manage allied forces on its territory. This is in accordance with Article 5 of the NATO charter, which mandates member states to respond to the assistance of other member states that are attacked.
However, the exercise is still not free from the threat of problems. On March 18, four Marines died when their MV-22 Osprey crashed while flying in bad weather off the north coast of Norway.
According to marinecorpstimes, four Marines, based at Marine Corps Air Base New River, North Carolina, died when their MV-22 Osprey crashed under stormy weather conditions in northern Norway.
The marines included Captain Matthew J. Tomkiewicz, 27, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Captain Ross A. Reynolds, 27, of Leominster, Massachusetts, Gunnery Sgt. James W. Speedy, 30, from Cambridge, Ohio, and Cpl. Jacob M. Moore, 24, of Catlettsburg, Kentucky. With the help of the Marine Corps, the bodies of the four Marines were found.
According to a statement from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, their bodies were transported to the United States. Responding to this, Lieutenant General Yngve Odlo, head of the Norwegian Armed Forces operations headquarters, said that this was an unavoidable risk.
"The deaths of the four Marines demonstrate the realism of what we are doing," he said. “If we are to be effective in crises and wars, we must exercise under realistic conditions. That includes bad weather.
Of course, we have many ways to minimize risks, but we can never eliminate them.”