Far be it from us to glorify warfare, but when the Dutch Marine Corps posts on Facebook about a new Arctic vehicle straight out of James Bond’s wet dream, we’re obliged to share that with you.
We’re talking about machine gun-equipped sleds, or pulks, which will be used by the Korps Mariniers of the Netherlands. First reported by military blog The War Zone, the division “recently acquired these and three other types of pulks to be better prepared to operate with the country’s other NATO allies in the increasingly strategic Arctic region.”
Who’s got a sled that’s long and white? Marines got a sled that’s long and white. Who comes around on a special night? Marines come around on a special night. This stuff really writes itself.
Jokes aside, according to a Facebook post from the Marine Corps, the purchase comes after the pulks were tested last winter, and includes the four-foot weapons platform sled — which takes away the difficulty of stabilizing a weapon in the snow — as well as three longer variants which allow gear to be pulled along rather than carried in heavy packs.
As The War Zone notes, this kind of equipment isn’t new, but it is being used in a relatively new situation: “… the Netherlands Marine Corps’ acquisition of these sleds underscores the increasing significance of the Arctic and surrounding environments in military planning among many countries. This is especially true for many members of the NATO Alliance, including the United States, which are seeking to head off Russia’s growing military presence in these same areas, including an expanding network of bases above the Arctic Circle.”
Tourism isn’t the only industry increasing in the Arctic because of climate change.
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