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News | March 15, 2023

Can't Get Enough Gurrier Nordique

By Capt. Mikel Arcovitch VTNG JFHQ PAO

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Shane Yuknis first came to Resolute in 2019 while participating in Guerrier Nordique.

2023 marks his second visit to the northern most location for the Canadian hosted exercise. Active duty Soldiers form the 11th Airborne Division and National Guard Soldiers from Connecticut, New Hampshire, Utah, National Guard Bureau and Vermont join the Canadian Armed Forces for Guerrier Nordique 2023 in Resolute, Nanuvut, Canada from March 4-March 20.

Yuknis has been a 19D Cavalry Scout with B Troop, 1st Squadron 172nd Cavalry (MTN), Vermont Army National Guard, for 16 years, and loves visiting the training Guerrier Nordique provides.

"Going to the Arctic is an opportunity every Soldier should take advantage of during their time in the Guard," said Yuknis. "Vermont has a bunch of spots for the training. I'd definitely recommend checking it out. It's not for everyone, but it's an awesome experience."

Yuknis's experience is a considerable advantage for Soldiers training in the Arctic. The first priority is basic survival skills which become much more challenging in temperatures that hover around 20 below zero on an average winter day.

"Having the experience makes a big difference. All of the tasks around camp are second nature now. This allows me to help out other Soldiers that are less experienced and make a positive impact for the larger group. I hope more people get the opportunity to come to Guerrier Nordique to learn cold weather skills in the Arctic," said Yuknis.

Duties around the camp include winter tent set-up, stove preparation, melting ice, boiling water, ice wall build-up, and food preparation among other activities to build a bivouac site survivable in the Arctic. Every Soldier has their own set of preferences for their sleep and camp set-up, most including sleeping system, an inflatable pad, and poncho. The key is to be insulated from the cold as much as possible, and always stay dry.

While working hard at staying warm and dry, soldiers at Guerrier Nordique need to be a functional rifleman as well, staying warm and dry is simply not enough. To facilitate combat exercises, there were several training simulations.

Guerrier Nordique included live fire training on the range with .50 caliber and C-6 general-purpose machine-gun support from the Canadians, tent jumps, raids on objectives, and over-the-snow mobility by SUS-V and snowmobile.

"The only way to learn how to truly survive in the Arctic is to live in it. You can take classes which are helpful, but nothing is close to actually being here," said Yuknis.

Vermont National Guard News
U.S. Army and Canadian Soldiers practiced and conducted tactical insertion on an open ice skiway delivered by an LC-130 Hercules skiplane of the 109th Airlift Wing, New York Air National Guard, on frozen oceanic Arctic ice near Cornwallis Island, Nunavut, Canada, March 15, 2023.



U.S. and Canadian Soldiers and U.S. Airmen participated in Guerrier Nordique 23 in Resolute Bay, Nunavut, Canada from March 6 to March 20, 2023. U.S. Soldiers and Airmen consisted mainly of National Guard units from Connecticut, New Hampshire, Utah, New York, and Vermont. U.S. Army active duty Soldiers came from the 11th Airborne Division out of Fairbanks, Alaska. Canadian Soldiers came mainly from the 35th Canadian Brigade Group. Guerrier Nordique is an annual training exercise hosted by the Canadians in different locations each year. The training usually focuses on domestic emergencies and responses. For the first time this year, the focus of the exercise focused on military tactics and lethality.
Tactical Insertion in the Arctic, First of Its Kind
By Capt. Mikel Arcovitch | March 17, 2023
Thirty-seven U.S. and Canadian Soldiers were tactically inserted by way of an LC-130 Hercules on Arctic Ocean ice just east of Little Cornwallis Island in Nunavut, Canada, during exercise Guerrier Nordique 23 on March 15,...

Vermont Army National Guard Soldiers train for their Hazardous Materials Operations Level at the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho, Vermont, on January 22. The Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Assistance Support Element (CASE) is now open to all Vermont National Guard Soldiers regardless of military occupational specialty or duty location. The CASE is a 200-person element with Vermont providing 100 Soldiers, and Massachusetts providing the other

100.
The Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Assistance Support Element (CASE) is now open to all Vermont National Guard Soldiers
By Sgt. 1st Class Jason Alvarez | Feb. 9, 2023
The Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Assistance Support Element (CASE) is now open to all Vermont National Guard Soldiers regardless of military occupational specialty or duty location. The CASE is a 200-person...

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Vermont Adjutant General meets with President of State Partner Senegal
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Burlington, Vermont- U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Greg Knight, Vermont Adjutant General, is honored with the “Friend of Broadcasters Award” at the Vermont Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame Awards Banquet in Burlington Vermont, December 3rd. Knight has embraced speaking to the media on a regular basis. 



Knight explained that “It’s a validation of the work that we do with the Vermont Association of Broadcasters and all of our media partners and the outreach that’s a part of that. They’re critical for us in sharing the Guard’s story, to be acknowledged for the work that we’re doing is pretty incredible. We do not want to be Vermont's best kept secret, and our media has helped in this endeavor.
Vermont Adjutant General Receives Award From Association of Broadcasters
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Vermont Air National Guard Master Sgt. Travis Voyer added to an award-winning year of Vermont National Guardsmen biathletes by being named the U.S. Biathlon Coach of the Year...

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Travis Voyer, right, familiarizes Maj. Gen. John Andonie, deputy director of the Army National Guard, on an Anschutz 1807 rifle used in biathlons at the Camp Ethan Allen Training Site in Jericho, Vermont, Feb. 26, 2021. Four Soldiers with the Vermont Army National Guard were sent to Austria in 2020 to represent the United States in the Biathlon Pre-World Cup. Voyer is a biathlon trainer with the 158th Logistics Readiness Squadron. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Marcus Tracy)
Voyer Named U.S. Biathlon Coach of the Year
By 1st Lt. Nathan Rivard | Nov. 8, 2022
Vermont Air National Guard Master Sgt. Travis Voyer added to an award-winning year of Vermont National Guardsmen biathletes by being named the U.S. Biathlon Coach of the Year...