Army Scientists Join European Partners in Long-Term Study of Nutrition and Performance in Arctic Conditions

Washington, D.C., December 11th, 2025.
Officials with the United States Department of War have outlined new progress in a long-running scientific partnership between Army researchers and European defense experts who study how soldiers maintain strength, endurance, and adequate caloric intake in the extreme cold of Arctic environments. The announcement describes a research collaboration now stretching across more than a decade, conducted chiefly by the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine’s Military Nutrition Division together with the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment.

According to the department’s statement, U.S. and Norwegian personnel have carried out repeated field investigations in the high-latitude regions of Norway. These missions placed soldiers under the physical demands of skiing, long-distance movement with combat loads, and sustained exertion in sub-freezing temperatures. Scientists collected physiological measurements and observed eating habits under conditions that often suppress the normal sensation of hunger, even while the body expends energy at rates significantly higher than in temperate climates. Officials reported that these studies were conducted in 2013, 2015, 2022, and again this year, providing a rare continuity of data across multiple operational periods.

Dr. James McClung, who oversees the Military Nutrition Division, emphasized that the work focuses on individual variation in energy needs, noting that factors such as sex, body composition, and mission length create wide differences in how service members metabolize rations during cold-weather operations. He explained that the extreme environment alters both appetite and physiological stress, requiring adjustments to the design and density of military rations.

The department’s announcement states that insights from these Arctic missions directly shaped the development of the Close Combat Assault Ration, now replacing earlier assault rations throughout the services. Field tests were used to determine whether the ration’s caloric content was adequate for soldiers whose energy demands sharply increase in low temperatures. The Army reports that these results have already guided revisions to ensure that meals issued during prolonged cold operations support sustained performance.

In addition to the field studies, Army nutrition scientists have taken part in a NATO research task group formed in 2021, examining the use of dietary supplements among military personnel from the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Slovenia, and partner nations. Early findings indicate that service members across allied forces report substantially higher use of protein supplements, amino-acid products, and similar items than civilian populations. Officials noted that these patterns may reflect increased training loads and the need for rapid recovery during operational deployments.

Finally, the Department of War reports that the accumulated research has contributed to broader NATO discussions on standardizing the physiological requirements of combat rations. Such work aims to ensure that meals ready for distribution across multinational operations are compatible with shared expectations for nutritional value, longevity, and field usability. Officials stated that the goal of these talks is to support greater interoperability among allied forces as joint Arctic, mountain, and cold-weather missions expand in scope.

All information presented here reflects only the direct statements and data provided in the official release issued by the United States Department of War. No secondary or media-based accounts have been incorporated.

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Sources

Primary First-Hand Sources

• United States Department of War, official news release titled Army Experts Team With European Partners on Arctic Nutrition Research, dated December 11th, 2025.