Cold weather training in Alaska in 2021, featuring the 50-year-old ski design about to be replaced.. (Sgt. Christopher Dennis/US Army)
TAMPA, Fla. — US Northern Command is standing up a partnership dubbed Nordic Bridge to enhance collaboration between multiple US commands while confronting Arctic security concerns, Gen. Gregory Guillot said today.
“I just returned a week or so ago from meeting with some other partners in EUCOM [US European Command] and establishing what we’re calling the Nordic Bridge,” Guillot, commander of NORTHCOM and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), told an audience at the annual SOF Week exposition. He added that it will “tie together” NORTHCOM, NORAD, EUCOM and US Special Operations Command Europe.
Though Guillot didn’t provide many details on the new partnership, he said as the Arctic region is becoming increasingly vital in protecting the homeland, he wants to ensure the US has “the right amount of presence up there.” He said Nordic Bridge will help make sure the other commands work together to make sure they aren’t sending a “disproportionate amount of force” to the region — or failing to send anyone at all.
“The goal is always to defend as far away from the homeland as we can, and SOF [Special Operations Forces] is probably the perfect mechanism to do that,” Guillot said. Guillot said he envisions such forces “primarily focused on Alaska” when it comes to the Arctic region.
