Thousands headed to Michigan for National Guard's Northern Strike training exercise
Members of the Georgia Air National Guard, 116th Security Forces and Puerto Rican Army National Guard,1st Battalion, 296th Infantry Regiment, Delta Company, took part in a simulated battle between friendly and opposing forces during the Northern Stri
GRAYLING, Mich. (FOX 2) - Later this week, thousands of servicemembers will head to Michigan for this summer's Northern Strike training event.
More than 6,300 military members from 32 states and territories, and five international partners will be at Michigan’s National All-Domain Warfighting Center (NADWC), which encompasses both Camp Grayling and the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, from Aug. 3-17.
Northern Strike participants will also train in Lake Huron, Rogers City Quarry, Battle Creek, MBS International Airport, Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airfield, and K.I. Sawyer Airfield in Marquette.
Two Northern Strike training iterations are held each year as Michigan National Guard members work with other states and nations. It's been hosted by the state's Guard for more than a decade.
"This year’s schedule of NS training events reflects the abilities of Michigan and the NADWC to support Department of Defense objectives," said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul D. Rogers, adjutant general and director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. "We take pride in our ability to improve the exercise design each year, integrating innovative technologies and solutions into dynamic training to meet the needs of commanders across all domains of warfare."
The Michigan National Guard is integrating reconnaissance drones into training during Exercise Northern Strike 2023 on Camp Grayling, Michigan, Aug. 12, 2023. The Michigan National Guard has a focus to bring innovative and modern solutions to enhance
According to the National Guard, this summer's training will be focused on training scenarios involving homeland security and defense against unmanned aerial systems, along with maritime training scenarios involving protecting high-value assets.
During the two-week training, newly developed combat search, rescue and recovery systems will be tested by servicemembers, too.
"Northern Strike is unique, not only because of the integration of defense innovators and academia, but because the exercise reflects the changes service members are seeing on the modern battlefield," said Col. Todd Fitzpatrick, land exercise director for NS. "For instance, our Air Defense scenario was created from lessons learned from recent drone attacks in the Middle East."