US Marines' Boots Fell Apart During Arctic NATO Exercise

Monday, September 21, 2026

It took only a few frigid February days for several United States Marines trudging through Norwegian snow and ice to notice something was wrong.

Posted by reinheitsgebot at 08:31 PM | 20 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

Alternate links: Google News | Twitter

Pentagon details 'enormous' problems as Marines' boots fall apart in the Arctic www.rawstory.com/pentagon-267 ...

[image or embed]
-- Morgan Fairchild (@morgfair.bsky.social) 4:49 PM Â· Sep 17, 2026

Comments

Admin's note: Participants in this discussion must follow the site's moderation policy. Profanity will be filtered. Abusive conduct is not allowed.

Those boots must suffer from Low T.

#1 | Posted by reinheitsgebot at 2026-09-21 11:11 AM | Reply

This is not the first time something like this has happened in history. A bad job like this means that some boot maker is stealing from the military.

#2 | Posted by Zed at 2026-09-21 11:24 AM | Reply

Right before I got out of the USMC they were transitioning from shined all leather combat boots, which weren't the best but were tried and true, to synthetic material boots that looked like they'd fall apart after about a week in the field. Glad I didn't have to make that switch.

#3 | Posted by qcp at 2026-09-21 11:26 AM | Reply

A bad job like this means that some boot maker is stealing from the military.

#2 | POSTED BY ZED

Let me guess. A good friend of the Trumpy family?

#4 | Posted by donnerboy at 2026-09-21 11:31 AM | Reply

Maybe a liberal Olympian has snuck into the boot factory and slashed all the boots?

#5 | Posted by donnerboy at 2026-09-21 11:33 AM | Reply | Funny: 1

Follow the money, salaries, and "donations."

#6 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2026-09-21 04:00 PM | Reply

Quality control means actually testing the boots before delivery...hard to believe they were even tested. Reminds me of the first days of the M16, which replaced the tried and true M14.

#7 | Posted by Hughmass at 2026-09-22 06:10 AM | Reply

They probably sent them desert boots. They were famously sent woodland camo to invade Iraq with.

#8 | Posted by sitzkrieg at 2026-09-22 07:15 AM | Reply

Hey! Washington's troops didn't even have boots to wear in the snow! The Warrior Ethos means no footwear is needed by our troops--at least not the high-T guys. Hoorah!
--Drinky Pete, who has cool warrior tats

#9 | Posted by catdog at 2026-09-22 07:53 AM | Reply

Back to the ;drawing board'.

#10 | Posted by MSgt at 2026-09-22 08:49 AM | Reply

There is a reason why SOF partners with companies like Arc'teryx and Black Diamond to procure a lot of their kit. Standard desk job boots won't cut it.

Norway is the ideological homeland of bad weather clothing. But it's not cheap.

#11 | Posted by madbomber at 2026-09-22 11:09 AM | Reply

And Trump thought he could take Greenland with this equipment?

#12 | Posted by MBlue at 2026-09-22 11:24 AM | Reply

Against the head wind of liberal judges it literally take an act of congress for Trump to change vendors. Democrats and their grifters have so entrenched themselves at the trough.

#13 | Posted by visitor_ at 2026-09-22 12:33 PM | Reply | Funny: 1

The suckers and losers know what they signed up for.

~pedo 47~

#14 | Posted by reinheitsgebot at 2026-09-22 12:40 PM | Reply

"an act of congress for Trump to change vendors."

lol Trumpy is all about no bid contracts.

Just get the no bid Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool guy.

Or the East Wing Ballroom no bid contractor.

Or the no bid Border Wall Contractor

Or the no bid Lafayette Park Fountain contractor.

Or any of Trumpy's $263 billion no bid contracts.

#15 | Posted by donnerboy at 2026-09-22 12:42 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

Could be those soldiers were testosterone enhanced and just blew those boots up by being so manly.

#16 | Posted by morris at 2026-09-22 02:20 PM | Reply | Funny: 1

"Against the head wind of liberal judges it literally take an act of congress for Trump to change vendors. Democrats and their grifters have so entrenched themselves at the trough."

Yeah.

It's the Democrats.

They have Arc'teryx in their pocket.

NORSOCOM partners with them as well, FWIW.

#17 | Posted by madbomber at 2026-09-22 02:45 PM | Reply

And SOF has always had something akin to carte blanche to buy the ---- they need. It's just the conventional forces that are funneled into buying ------ military.

Hell, even as an aviator we had access to the good stuff.

#18 | Posted by madbomber at 2026-09-22 02:46 PM | Reply

Trump shouldn't even be concerned about vendors. He should have a competent staff that did it for him. But it's Trump, so competency is hard to come by.

#19 | Posted by madbomber at 2026-09-22 02:48 PM | Reply

I own a pair of "moon boots" AKA "Mickey Mouse boots" AKA US Army issue and created during the Korean war. Got them at an Army Surplus store many years ago. They were made tough and keep my tootsies nice and warm ice fishing in the frozen northern lakes where I've been when it registered 28 below zero with 25mph winds. Maybe they should bring that boot back!

#20 | Posted by path at 2026-09-22 03:14 PM | Reply