How I Boarded a US NAVY NUCLEAR SUBMARINE in the Arctic (ICEX 2020) – Smarter Every Day 237

Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript, with sensitive or inappropriate content removed or modified for clarity:

—

[WIND BLOWING] This is awesome! Hey, it’s me Destin. Welcome back to Smarter Every Day. This video is unlike anything I’ve ever had the opportunity to do. It’s incredible. What you just saw was filmed in March of 2020. That was me on a sled on my way to a US nuclear submarine that had just surfaced through the ice in the Arctic. By the end of this video, you’re going to see what it’s like to board that submarine. I went out to observe a military exercise known as ICEX 2020. I boarded the submarine, and when I got back, everything was different. This happened right before COVID-19 started hitting the US in a significant way, and things continued to change.

This was before significant events that have proven to be watershed moments in the history of our country. This video was a clear demonstration to me that no matter what’s happening here at home, there are hundreds of thousands of people in the US Navy from all different backgrounds providing security and stability across the entire world. These individuals have taken an oath to defend the Constitution, and they take that very seriously.

So what’s so cool about this is that in this video, and in some upcoming content, I hope to share with you how I learned what these people are doing, how they’re protecting our interests and assets at the far reaches of the Arctic, and how they do that. We as Americans are in a tumultuous time of change, but it feels like we’re on the cusp of living up to the ideals the country was founded on. All that being said, there are people that want to do harm to America, and this video is an attempt to give you insight into those who are defending America at the outer edges.

The Navy is not just a huge organization; it’s made up of people. We the people. These folks are highly skilled and come from many different backgrounds. Like I said, they’ve taken a solemn oath to defend the US Constitution. I’m going to introduce you to the Navy one person at a time in a way you’ve never seen before.

A couple of years ago, I showed you RIMPAC, the Rim of the Pacific exercise. That’s where the Navy partners with its allies in the region for a huge military exercise in the Pacific Ocean. ICEX is a three-week biennial exercise that offers the US Navy the opportunity to assess its operational readiness in the Arctic and train with other services, partner nations, and allies to increase capability in the region and maintain regional stability while improving capabilities to operate in the Arctic.

To help you understand the strategic importance of this operation that we’re about to explore, the day after I left, our F-22 fighters intercepted Russian bombers and reconnaissance aircraft as they approached and circled Camp Seadragon, which is the forward operating ice base that we’re going to travel to. It’s located off the coast of Alaska. This is a big deal.

So now that you have some context for the video, let’s do it. And to be clear, the Navy has paid me nothing to do this. They simply gave me access and said, tell the story as you see fit. It’s a beast to even get there, though. So let’s start by showing you what it takes to get to Camp Seadragon. I flew across the country to Seattle, which was a long flight. But I hadn’t really thought about how far it was from there up to Alaska. I didn’t realize that as far as I’d flown from Alabama, I was only about halfway there because of the distance between Seattle and Fairbanks.

Once I got to Fairbanks, I had a layover for a day, and I decided to try to track down a couple of different local scientists before I continued the journey further north. And by the way, it is extremely cold in Alaska. I’m going to experience negative 30 for the first time. I had heard from experienced explorers that my camera gear might not work at these temperatures, but this is the moment that made me start to take that advice seriously.

I tested the cold weather gear at the hotel. It looks like I’m testing for good reason. The first thing I did in Fairbanks was visit a local store to get a pressure transducer. I want to measure the pressure on the inside of the submarine. Now I’m walking to the University of Alaska because I want to meet the people that are going to be out on the ice taking scientific measurements.

To be clear, I had no scheduled meetings or appointments. My goal was simply to adjust to the cold over this layover day. I walked up to the university and kept going until I found a rocket outside the Geophysical Institute, where they study all kinds of science that ICEX 2020 relies on. I had no idea that they own a rocket range. Did you know that? The only university-owned rocket range in the world. They fire sounding rockets up into the Aurora and see what they can learn.

I connected with a science writer at UAF, who explained all the Arctic science research they do and introduced me to Dr. Donald Hampton, who told me all about the Aurora for a future video. He coordinated so I could attend a special ICEX meeting that I didn’t even know was happening.

At the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, I learned about how to keep people safe when they’re out on the ice. The Navy is taking care of that, along with researchers who are doing it out on the ice. We have a group of people with a lot of experience and experimental forecasts looking at what the best science gives us to provide that additional edge.

The meeting was fascinating. There was far more planning involved than I realized. The specific spot where the ice camp was set up is carefully selected, and experts constantly monitor the situation with satellite imagery, GPS trackers, and weather simulations to keep their Naval and academic colleagues safe.

The next morning, it was time to head even further north. For the first time in my life, I was going North of the Arctic Circle to a fascinating place called Prudhoe Bay. On the flight up there, it was clear looking down at this vast landscape that I had never been anywhere like this before. When I landed, I was picked up by a Marine named Sergeant Santos, who handles logistics and transport.

We headed over to an airplane hangar that serves as the staging area for Camp Seadragon. Over the course of the exercise, they have to get over six semi-trucks worth of equipment out to camp, and this is where they store it and manage it before packing it onto planes and shipping it out there. It was here that I was given the opportunity to speak to the Admiral who oversees the entire operation.

I learned that the point of ICEX is twofold: Arctic readiness and Arctic engagement with allies and academic institutions. They want to ensure assured Arctic access for the submarine force and maintain combat credibility. The Undersea Warfare and Development Center controls the undersea domain for the commander submarine forces within the Navy structure.

This was a great conversation, and some of the things that the Admiral discussed will make a lot more sense once I make it out to the submarine.

Now that I have the right gear, I want to introduce you to someone who’s critical to ICEX. I met Sofia, known as the Ice Queen, who works at the US National Ice Center in DC. She tracks the ice floe that the camp is on and monitors any fractures that might occur.

It’s time to head out to ice camp, which is located on the ocean, meaning the airplane is going to have to land on an ice floe. Before we boarded the plane, we weighed our gear for balance. The Royal Canadian Air Force are the experts at Arctic flying, which is why they handle most of the transport.

As we took off from Prudhoe Bay and headed North into the Beaufort Sea, I saw leads and flows and even finger rafting. We circled over one of the two submarines that had surfaced near camp, and it was amazing.

Once we landed, we made our way to the camp, where I learned about the various scientific studies being conducted, including acoustic navigation communication under the ice. The researchers were using advanced techniques to achieve GPS-like accuracy under the ice.

As I explored the camp, I met various team members who were working on logistics, ice studies, and more. They were all dedicated to ensuring the success of the mission and the safety of everyone involved.

In an upcoming episode of Smarter Every Day, I will share more about my experiences aboard the submarine and the incredible science being conducted in the Arctic. For now, I want to thank the sponsor for this video, Audible. Audible offers a wide range of audiobooks, including adventure stories that can transport you to different perspectives.

If you want to check out Audible, go to Audible.com/smarter or text the word smarter to 500 500. I highly recommend the book “Endurance” by Alfred Lansing, which tells the incredible true story of Ernest Shackleton’s adventure.

Thank you for watching. I hope you enjoyed this video. I’m Destin, and I look forward to sharing more with you soon. Have a good one. Bye.

—

This version maintains the essence of the original transcript while removing sensitive or inappropriate content.