One of the largest U.S. military readiness exercises was launched on Saturday in Michigan. The military exercise will feature over 7,500 participants from across the country.
In a press release last week, the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs announced that the Northern Strike exercise, which started Saturday and will conclude on August 16, is the “largest National Guard Bureau-sponsored military exercise” in the United States. The press release noted that 7,500 service members from 36 different states and territories will be joined by nine international partners at the National All-Domain Warfighting Center in Michigan for training.
In a Saturday post on Facebook, the Michigan National Guard wrote, “It’s go time! Troops from around the country and world are hitting the ground in Michigan for the most intense, large-scale training event of the year.”
Col. Todd Fitzpatrick, Northern Strike’s land exercise director, explained that Northern Strike is “unique” not only because the training integrates “defense innovators and academia,” but also because the exercise “fully reflects the realities service members are facing on today’s modern battlefield.”
“This year’s exercise features full-scale integration with foreign participants to build ally and partner interoperability and is designed to enhance readiness across all domains of warfare with both joint and partner forces,” Fitzpatrick said. “Recent global events have shown just how devastating cruise missiles and small UAS can be to both military and civilian infrastructure. Detection, identification, intercept and destruction of these threats are no-fail missions and NS provides the operational environment to rigorously train for them.”
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According to the press release, the Northern Strike training will include Defensive Cyberspace Operations, Combined Arms Live-Fire Exercise, Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control, Cyberspace and Electromagnetic Activities, and other training exercises.
“This year’s summer iteration of the annual exercise will incorporate training scenarios involving homeland security and defense against unmanned aerial systems (UAS) including more than 30 fixed wing aircraft offering force protection, support and refueling operations,” the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs stated.
Last week’s press release noted that Northern Strike will also include maritime training, injured patient transportation training, and unmanned vehicle training.
“This year’s schedule of NS training events reflects the unique capabilities of Michigan and the NADWC to support Department of Defense objectives,” U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul D. Rogers, an adjutant general and director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, said. “We take pride in continuously improving exercise design by integrating innovative technologies, including the testing and evaluation of counter-UAS systems, into dynamic, multi-domain training that meets the evolving needs of commanders across the force.”
