American Marines' boots fell apart in the cold in Norway

Brief retelling from RIA II

The boots of American Marines began to fall apart in the cold while preparing for NATO exercises in Norway.

Due to problems with shoes, the military had to urgently buy local replacements.

After returning from training at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, they checked stocks of the same boots and found defects in about half of the pairs examined.

WASHINGTON, September 17 – RIA Novosti. The boots of American Marines began to fall apart in the cold during preparation for NATO exercises in Norway, which is why the military had to urgently buy locally made shoes, Newsweek writes, citing Pentagon documents and a source in the department.

Exercise Cold Response 2026 took place in Norway and Finland in March, but problems with boots among American Marines, which were discovered during preparation for them at the end of February, became known in September.

"The boots had holes in them, the soles were separating from the rest of the boots, and icy water was seeping in. Soldiers had to be removed from training because of the defective boots, all of which had been used for less than 30 days. Marines were then forced to purchase replacements locally," the report said.

The scale of the problem became clearer after returning from Norway. At Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, they checked stocks of the same boots and found defects in about half of the pairs examined.

During repeated inspections in April and July, the military discovered new defects, and their share was even higher in the summer. A military presentation obtained by Newsweek called the results of the April inspection an alarming level of defects.

The situation also attracted media attention because American legislation, with certain exceptions, allows the Pentagon to purchase military shoes only made in the USA. At the same time, further tightening of these rules is being discussed in Congress. Critics of the initiative, as Newsweek notes, fear that limiting choice could force military personnel to use lower-quality footwear.