U.S. Marine Corps prepares for Exercise Cold Response 26 using prepositioned equipment in Norway

More than 14,000 items were issued to Marines preparing for the Norwegian-led winter exercise, including cold-weather gear, ready-to-eat meals, tactical vehicles and heavy trucks. The equipment enables units to operate in extreme cold-weather conditions without shipping material from the United States.

By drawing equipment from prepositioned stocks in Norway, the Marine Corps reduced deployment timelines and avoided significant transportation costs. According to Buddy Cote, technical assistance and advisory team officer in charge, the approach saves more than a month compared with transatlantic shipment and avoids more than $2 million in transportation expenses.

“Blount Island Command’s ashore prepositioning department directly supports the Marine Corps’ doctrine for the rapid employment of expeditionary forces,” Cote said. He added that “the Marine Corps Prepositioning Program Norway reduces reaction times by providing combatant commanders with scalable and tailorable forces capable of executing limited objective missions across a wide range of military operations.”

The Marine Corps said the Norway-based prepositioning program has maintained equipment readiness above 90% for several years through sustained maintenance and modernization. “This ongoing support strengthens NATO partnerships and ensures prepositioned assets are available for immediate use when called upon,” Cote said, noting that Norwegian partners manage the equipment daily to enhance interoperability during joint operations.