During pre-exercise training for Cold Response 2026 in Norway, several U.S. Marines discovered holes in the leather and soles separating from their boots, letting freezing water in as they hiked and skied, Newsweek reported. The failures affected Marines from II Marine Expeditionary Force, part of roughly 3,000 U.S. personnel deployed to the exercise above the Arctic Circle. The issues included peeling soles, heels digging into tendons, worn-through heel cups and loose eyelets, according to a Pentagon official and U.S. military records. Norwegian forces helped source Alfa M77 boots and some replacements were bought in nearby stores while critical provisions were removed from a U.S. resupply ship so it could be reloaded with more American-made boots and rerouted to Norway. The Marine Corps and Marine Corps Systems Command issued joint statements and the Pentagon conducted inspections and replacements. The failures have prompted questions about U.S. rules that generally bar Pentagon funds from buying non-U.S.-made boots and about proposed congressional moves to further restrict allowable footwear, raising concerns among critics that stricter Buy American footwear rules could worsen gear quality for deployed service members.
