U.S. Army Soldiers with 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne Division, jump from a C-17 Globemaster III onto Lake Takvatnet during Arctic Shock 24 near Bardufoss, Norway, March 18, 2024. The jump follows an over-the-pole flight from Alaska, showcasing the 11th Airborne Division’s capability to insert anywhere into the Arctic.
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BARDUFOSS, Norway – Paratroopers with 11th Airborne Division conducted an over-the-pole direct delivery into Norway on the morning of March 18, 2024. The jump was a part of Arctic Shock 24, the combined U.S. and Norwegian exercise supporting the National Strategy for the Arctic Region in northern Norway, March 18 through 22, 2024.
Arctic Shock includes roughly 130 U.S. Soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division and around 100 soldiers from the Norwegian Armed Forces. The exercise enhances multi-combatant command capabilities and interoperability with U.S. and Norwegian forces.
U.S. Army Sgt. Ibn Alerou, squad leader, Commanche Company, 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne Division, takes a knee while snowshoeing over Lake Takvatnet following a static line jump during Arctic Shock 24 near Bardufoss, Norway, March 18, 2024. The jump follows an over-the-pole flight from Alaska, showcasing the 11th Airborne Division’s capability to insert anywhere into the Arctic.
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“We have to – as the only arctic airborne brigade in the Army – be able to deploy out of Alaska; anywhere in the Indo-Pacific, anywhere in the Arctic, anywhere in Europe,” explained Col. Jimmy Howell, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne Division Brigade commander, to the Soldiers participating as part of the pre-brief. “No one else is trained and equipped to do what we do.”
The remainder of the exercise will be a field training exercise focused on cold-weather skills demonstrating the U.S. commitment to defend the High North alongside NATO Ally, Norway.
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