This episode of the Modern War Institute Podcast features a conversation with Col. Brian Rauen and Capt. Barrett Martin. Col. Rauen is the commander of 10th Special Forces Group and Capt. Martin is one of the officers assigned to the group. The episode features a guest host, Dr. Ryan Burke, who is an MWI fellow and the co-director of Project 6633, which we recently launched to explore the topic of polar security.

The US Army’s Special Forces groups are largely oriented toward specific regions, and 10th Group has a particular focus on Europe—which means they have a natural organizational interest in the Arctic region. Last year, Capt. Martin led a team that went to the high northern latitudes in Europe to train alongside Norwegian and Swedish forces. He shares some of what his team learned during that experience, and Col. Rauen talks about why the Arctic is an area of growing importance for 10th Group. They also discuss some of the especially unique challenges posed to special operations forces working in such an extreme environment.

10th Group and Project 6633 have also partnered to host an essay contest, inviting submissions that address the question of how American special operations forces can compete with near-peer adversaries in the polar regions. If you’re interested in entering the contest, you can find more details here.

Listen to the entire discussion below, and if you aren’t already subscribed to the MWI Podcast, be sure to find it on Apple PodcastsStitcherSpotifyTuneIn, or your favorite podcast app. While you’re there, please take a moment and give the podcast a rating or leave a review.

Image credit: US SOCEUR