The struggle to stay unseen in the Arctic
As climate change opens access to shipping routes and natural resources, the Arctic is rapidly emerging as a potential global flashpoint. Here, officers Major Johan Karlman and Major Joakim Östlin, from Sweden’s Arctic regiments share insights on what’s needed to survive in the region and how to use camouflage in a landscape that exposes almost everything.
Deploying armed forces in Arctic environments is a serious business. Winter temperatures in the far north of Sweden can easily drop to −30°C, snow covers every surface, and the sun disappears for weeks on end. In spring and autumn, the terrain is just as treacherous, with partially frozen wetlands and a lack of roads creating a logistical nightmare and a constant danger for troops. It’s often said that troops fighting in the Arctic face a greater threat from the environment than from their enemy.
Despite these very real challenges, the need for armed forces to patrol the Arctic is growing rapidly. Climate change has eased the brutal winter temperatures, melting pack ice and creating new possibilities for cargo ships to travel from Europe to Asia across the top of the world. At the same time, the Arctic is home to vast and largely unexploited reserves of oil, gas and critical minerals, which are now becoming easier to access. Add to that geopolitical uncertainty, including hostile posturing by Russia, and the region has the potential to become one of the world’s most strategically contested theatres.
So, what does it take for modern armed forces to survive and thrive in such conditions? And what strategies are needed to avoid detection across the different seasons and landscapes?
Decades of Arctic experience
Swedish officers Major Joakim Östlin from the Norrbotten Regiment (I19) and Major Johan Karlman from the Boden Artillery Regiment (A8) agreed to speak with Saab to talk us through the challenges of operating in the Arctic and the important role that camouflage plays. Since Sweden joined NATO in 2024, the I19 has been tasked with defending the country’s far north and supporting NATO operations in neighbouring Finland. The A8, meanwhile, is responsible for delivering long-range fire support and defending NATO’s northern flank, particularly towards Finland and the Baltic region.
Both Major Östlin and Major Karlman have decades of experience of living and working in the Arctic and both agree that no military unit can operate in the region without extensive preparation and the right equipment.
“The environment will kill you before the enemy fires a single shot,” warns Major Östlin. “No mistakes are acceptable – you have to be prepared, trained and equipped just to survive.” The majors point out that in winter freezing conditions make simply moving extremely difficult, with every task from digging trenches to setting up position taking twice as long as it does in warmer climates. Then there’s the impact on machinery, like the trucks onto which the A8’s Archer Artillery Systems are mounted. “You have to be very conscious of oil, fuels and other fluids in vehicles,” says Major Karlman. “You may have to have the engine going at all the time because if they stop and get cold, you may not be able to start the vehicles again.”
While the cold eases in spring and autumn, the perils remain. Partially frozen ground turns movement into a constant risk, with marshlands and lakes that can give way under the weight of a vehicle or body of troops. “Just passing a river or marshland is difficult,” says Major Östlin, pointing to the challenge of judging whether terrain or ice can support troops and vehicles. For Karlman, the danger is persistent. “All year round, it’s not just your enemy that’s dangerous – it’s the environment you’re operating in,” he says.
Where the environment becomes the enemy
As in any potential field of conflict, evading detection by the enemy is crucial in the Arctic. And, again, the extreme and changeable climate presents major challenges.
In the icy winters, the landscape is consistently frozen meaning that any uncamouflaged source of heat is instantly obvious to thermal sensors. This creates major problems when moving from one position to another or firing weapons, both of which generate easily identified signatures.
Travelling through undisturbed snow also leaves tracks with distinct visual and heat signatures, which may be visible long after soldiers and vehicles have passed by. The distinct shift from an all-white environment to a mottled one with white and black/green patches in spring and autumn is another challenge. All-white camouflage can stand-out badly at such times, and blended green-and-white uniforms are essential. Both Majors Östlin and Karlman agree good camouflage strategies take into account all these factors as well as the types of sensors used by the enemy. “You need to understand what kind of sensors you are facing,” says Major Östlin. “Then you adapt your camouflage to that threat. You use what nature can provide – you dig in, you use the terrain, the trees, the snow.” For Major Karlman, effective camouflage is closely tied to how units operate. “The tactic is hiding, going into a firing position, firing and then moving to another hiding position,” he says. Remaining static for too long increases risk, but movement must be carefully timed to avoid detection.
Layered camouflage and deception in practice
Both units rely on Saab’s Barracuda camouflage. For the I19, this primarily takes the form of multispectral camouflage nets used on vehicles, equipment and static positions, helping to reduce detection across the electromagnetic spectrum. The regiment also integrates these systems with natural concealment, using terrain, vegetation and snow to further disrupt detection.
At the A8, Barracuda systems are applied directly to platforms such as the Archer artillery system, with Barracuda’s Mobile Camouflage System (MCS) fitted to the vehiclesto reduce thermal and visual signatures during operations. Static nets are also used to disguise firing positions, command posts and support elements, particularly when units remain in place for longer periods. In the case of the Archer system, MCS is applied across the entire vehicle, helping to suppress heat emitted by the engine and reduce overall thermal signature. “When you have fired the Archer, the barrel gets very hot, and with infrared you can see it,” Major Karlman explains, pointing to one of the system’s key vulnerabilities. To counter this, the Archer’s barrel can be lowered into a compartment, making it far more difficult to detect. When combined with full-vehicle MCS it can be “quite hard to see the thermal signature… if they stand still and don’t fire.”
The role of decoys
Both Majors Östlin and Karlman also believe decoys have a critical role to play in Arctic warfare. “If you want a decoy to work, it has to be as good as the real unit,” says Major Karlman. “You can’t just have a wooden decoy – with UAVs and good cameras, they will see that it’s not real. "The be efficient, decoys must replicate more than just appearance. “You need some kind of transmission… and a thermal heat source,” he explains, noting that modern sensors can quickly expose anything that doesn’t behave like a real system. Even the surrounding detail matters. “You have to have tracks leading to the decoy,” he adds, otherwise it will stand out in the landscape. Used properly, decoys can shift the balance. “The enemy has to spend time looking at several different parts of the operation,” Major Karlman says. In an environment where detection is increasingly unavoidable, that confusion can be decisive.
In the end, the Arctic offers no easy advantages.
It strips warfare back to fundamentals – survival, movement and the ability to remain unseen just long enough to act. For the soldiers operating there, success is not defined by disappearing entirely, but by understanding when they can be seen – and how to stay one step ahead.