U.S. Marines are operating in an Arctic nation this month — an effort that includes learning to “drift” 60-ton M1A1 Abrams tanks like they’re part of “The Fast and The Furious” movie franchise.
The training is one of the more novel aspects of Cold Response 2016, a joint military exercise beginning this month in Norway that includes 16,000 troops from 13 countries, including Britain, Germany and Poland, as well as 3,000 U.S. service members. The first of three phases for the operation begin this week, with the exercise continuing through late March.
In a new video, the Marines demonstrated the “drifting,” in which they slid around tight curves in tanks and amphibious assault vehicles. Doing so in a controlled environment will help drivers maneuver better in bad weather, an emphasis of Cold Response. The training occurred in the small Norwegian town of Rena, about 110 miles north of Oslo, the capital.
Norway, like other NATO allies, has strained relations with Russia following the Kremlin’s intervention in Ukraine and Russian military exercises that probe the airspace of the alliance. Russia has also warned Norway and other Scandinavian countries against increasing their contributions to NATO, particularly by participating in a missile-defense shield.