NWTC - some of the Army’s best training

  • Published
  • By Command Sgt. Maj. Bernie Knight
  • U.S. Army Alaska command sergeant major
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  We talk a lot about U.S. Army Alaska Soldiers being "Arctic Tough." There's a reason for that.

Training here doesn't stop when the snow falls and temperatures fall below zero.

Operating in cold weather and extreme conditions is simply part of what USARAK Soldiers do.

For example, any new noncommissioned officer who has attended the Warrior Leader Course during an Alaska winter can tell you, the course's field training exercise develops cold-weather knowledge as much as it does leadership skills.

The same holds true for unit training and exercises. If you can safely and successfully conduct operations and lead Soldiers in cold weather and mountainous terrain, you're well prepared to meet any challenge anywhere the Army takes you.

We are fortunate our command is home to the Army's only cold region training proponent - the Northern Warfare Training Center, at Black Rapids Training Site located in interior Alaska.

NWTC isn't just for USARAK Soldiers, it's the Army's premiere cold-weather and mountaineering school.

The school gives leaders the skills and knowledge to successfully conduct operations in a cold, snow-covered environment and mountainous terrain.

Most importantly, NWTC trains you to conduct those operations safely - without cold-weather injuries - by learning to use your equipment properly and incorporating effective risk management procedures in everything you do.

In recent years, the NWTC's mountaineering and cold-weather courses have given Soldiers the skills and knowledge to handle Afghanistan's rocky terrain and use those harsh conditions to their advantage.

It also gives Soldiers confidence in their issued cold-weather equipment. Once the students learn how to fully use it and put it to the test, they soon see how well it actually works.

NWTC's carefully chosen instructors have trained units from across the Army, Marines, Navy and the Special Forces community, and have rightly earned NWTC a world-class reputation for quality training.

Our instructors live what they teach and they love what they do. Off duty, you'll find them skiing, climbing glaciers and mountains, including Denali.

Whether you're attending one of the NWTC's cold-weather courses in the winter, or a mountaineering course in the summer, know that this is some of the best training the Army has to offer. Take full advantage of it - both you and the Army will benefit.