The Army is reassessing how to operate in the Arctic with helicopters touching down on frozen lakes.

This bold shift comes as part of a broader push to expand the Army’s reach in cold regions and to tighten the country’s competitive edge under a strong, pro American posture led by President Trump and supported by War Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The goal is clear: unlock reliable landing zones that could dramatically extend maneuver space in ice bound theaters.

The Army Corps of Engineers’ research and development arm is pursuing a practical rethinking of long standing assumptions about ice risks.

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Their effort focuses on as much as a quarter of additional usable area for aircraft to land, depart, or even set up a temporary base for firing and movement from helicopters.

A pivotal test took place in January at Alaska’s Yukon Training Area, southeast of Fort Wainwright.

The CH-47 Chinook completed a controlled and monitored landing on what researchers label as “quality ice” that measured 21 inches thick.

That figure is well below the historic threshold of 31 inches that guided past practice.

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The project began around 2021 thanks to initiative from Jenna Williams, a cold regions scientist with the ERDC who formerly served in the 11th Airborne Division, based at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

“One of [Williams’] personnel contacted me asking, ‘Hey, can we land helicopters on ice?’” said Kevin Bjella, a research civil engineer with ERDC.

“‘We don’t have that in our doctrine, and we’re just wondering, if that’s possible, what could we do to make that happen?’”

The lack of doctrine for ice landings had long left potential landing zones underutilized. Without clear guidance, commanders often exercised caution based on outdated assumptions.

Bjella said he was surprised that no formal doctrine existed, and the team pressed forward to determine what the Army’s needs could be.

The 1960s era standards still shaping ice landings require a loaded Chinook to rest on roughly three feet of ice. “It was kind of this chicken-or-the-egg thing,” Bjella said.

“It’s like, ‘Well, it isn’t in the doctrine; therefore, it isn’t safe.’ And so, what we wanted to push is, for the Army’s needs, is it perhaps actually safe? And just from a desktop perspective, it’s like, ‘Yeah, absolutely we can do this.’”

Adapting to Arctic realities has become a national strategic priority.

The Arctic is no longer a distant concern; it is a real, evolving arena where multiple nations are advancing. Bjella noted that snow and ice can shape how, where, and when forces can project power, and landing on lakes would dramatically expand options for operations in Alaska and beyond.

“When we talk about Arctic missions, lakes are just all over the place,” he said.

The research also envisions practical tools to keep soldiers safe.

Williams explained that the effort includes developing landing parameters for a range of helicopters and even assessing whether soldiers could safely jump from fixed wing aircraft onto ice and quickly establish a base of operations there.

A smartphone app called “Ice Guardian” was part of the plan from the outset, designed to calculate ice Landability based on available data. “Right now, it’s a lot of communication with unit leadership,” Williams said.

“We have a lot of buy-in from [Fort Wainwright’s 5th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment]. They want the app, like, last month. … But then also socializing it with the aviation units [and] potentially doing some sit-down classes with a few leaders, and just teaching them how to use the app.”

The effort is not simply theoretical. The team has used pressure transducers and other instruments to monitor how the ice behaves under the weight of a helicopter and how much fatigue it can endure across repeated landings.

The aim is to establish safety parameters that would meet the needs of Army aviation crews without forcing a retreat from potentially valuable landing zones.

Williams added that the app would help commanders assess risk in real time, allowing for smarter decisions about when to land and how to prepare a site for operations.

The potential benefits extend beyond Alaska. The Arctic’s changing geography presents new routes, lanes, and opportunities for rapid movement and resupply.

A more capable ice landing capability would complement expanded cold weather training and readiness programs that have gained traction across the services. In the end, the push reflects a broader determination to secure American advantage in a region that cannot be ignored.

President Trump’s vision of a strong, ready force aligned with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s call for decisive action is driving this update in doctrine.

The goal is straightforward: give commanders reliable options on ice so that America can operate where and when it matters most, with confidence grounded in tested science rather than outdated folklore.

As this program moves forward, the Army is clear that the next steps will involve more tests, more collaboration with units, and broader dissemination of the Ice Guardian tool.

That combination of field testing and practical technology could redefine how the Army operates in ice bound zones, turn uncertain frontiers into safer, usable space, and help ensure that American forces can respond rapidly and effectively wherever icy terrain presents a challenge.

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