USU Graduate School of Nursing Supports Arctic Readiness for the 11th Airborne Division

Specialized cold weather training offered by the Uniformed Services University Graduate School of Nursing prepares military medical professionals to deliver care in the world’s most demanding environments.

Medical personnel practice securing a patient into a specialized litter during cold weather training in Alaska.

(Photo courtesy of Dr. Ian Wedmore)

February 4, 2026 by Sharon Holland

Operating in the Arctic presents some of the most demanding conditions military medical professionals will ever face. To ensure medics and clinicians are prepared to deliver care in extreme cold and high-altitude environments, the Uniformed Services University (USU) Graduate School of Nursing (GSN) recently provided specialized operational medical readiness training to the U.S. Army’s 11th Airborne Division in Alaska.

A participant practices high-angle rescue
techniques on a snow-covered rock face
as part of the Mountain Medicine
curriculum. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Ian
Wedmore)

The Cold Weather Medicine training—conducted as part of USU’s ongoing operational readiness efforts—addresses a critical capability gap. The Army has limited medical training opportunities focused specifically on extreme cold weather and high-altitude operations. Recognizing this need, former Division Surgeon Army Col. John Pederson sourced the training through USU to better prepare the Division’s medical personnel for its unique mission set.

Since 2023, USU has delivered this course annually in Alaska, tailoring instruction to the demanding Arctic environment in which the 11th Airborne Division operates. This year, 10 Division medical professionals successfully completed the course, under the direction of Dr. Ian Wedmore, co-director of USU’s Mountain and Cold Weather Medicine courses, earning advanced training that directly enhances unit readiness.

“The 11th Airborne Division is the Army’s only extreme cold weather and Arctic-capable unit,” said Army Lt. Col. Devon Greer, current Division Surgeon for the 11th Airborne Division. “This training aligns perfectly with our mission and strengthens our ability to deploy worldwide, with particular emphasis on cold weather operations.”

The training combines classroom instruction with intensive hands-on training. Participants develop the skills and confidence needed to provide advanced medical care in austere, high-risk environments. Instruction includes advanced medical management, pharmaceutical considerations, environmental injury treatment, high-angle rescue, over-snow patient movement, avalanche safety, and ice climbing. The course is both physically and intellectually demanding and culminates in Wilderness Medicine credits and an internationally recognized Mountain Medicine Diploma.

While this year’s training cohort included only 11th Airborne Division personnel, previous iterations have brought together USU students, faculty, and medical officers from across services and components—reflecting USU’s joint mission and commitment to operational medicine.

“This course is essential to the success of medical operations in the Division,” Greer added. “There is no comparable course in the Department of War inventory designed specifically for medical providers operating in extreme cold weather. We’re incredibly grateful that USU continues to offer this training.”

A patient is prepared for over-snow movement during a nighttime medical evacuation exercise. (Photo

courtesy of Dr. Ian Wedmore)