Michigan National Guard to host Northern Strike 2016

LANSING, Mich. --

Military units from Michigan, Latvia, Canada and Poland, will be active in northern Michigan from Aug. 1-20, as part of the newest installment of Exercise Northern Strike. Exercise Northern Strike is a unique military training exercise because it combines air and ground combat capability drills into one super-sized training exercise.

This year’s headline guest is Marine Commandant Gen. Robert Neller. An East Lansing native, Neller will be observing Marine training missions during Northern Strike and will be briefed on the comprehensive training capabilities available at Camp Grayling.

Approximately 5,000 Soldiers, Airmen and Marines will be participating in the exercise with the bulk of personnel operating from bases at Camp Grayling and at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center. Live fire exercises involving small arms, mortars, artillery and aerial munitions will occur within the Camp Grayling property periodically between Aug. 1 and Aug. 20.

Army ground forces participating in the exercise include infantry, artillery and signal units. The significant acreage Camp Grayling provides allows brigade-sized ground forces to maneuver freely while employing a variety of weapon systems to include: M-4 rifle, M240B machine gun, 60mm, 81mm mortars, and 155mm howitzers. Aircraft scheduled to participate in the exercise include the A-10, F-16, B-1, C-130, KC-135 and the JSTARS E-8C that provides an airborne, stand-off range, surveillance and target acquisition radar and command control center.

While the primary exercise focus is meeting the training needs of the specific units participating, NS16 also showcases numerous Michigan National Guard training facilities available for use by military, law enforcement and related security and environmental organizations.

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