During NATO exercises in Norway, U.S. Marines began to have problems with their boots
During NATO’s Arctic exercises in Norway, U.S. Marines began experiencing problems with their military boots. Some of the service members found holes in their new boots, the soles were peeling away, and icy water was seeping inside.
The defects were discovered during the “Cold Response 2026” pre-training exercises.
More than 25,000 service members took part in the exercises in Norway, with another 7,000 participating in Finland. Among the participants were about 3,000 U.S. Marines, most of whom were deployed as part of the II Marine Expeditionary Force from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
The U.S. Marines moved through snow and ice, undertook long marches, and skied while carrying heavy backpacks. It was during these strenuous activities that problems with the new footwear began to surface.
According to a Pentagon spokesperson, for some Marines, the soles separated from the main body of the boot, and the plastic heels could dig into their tendons. In other cases, the heels wore out quickly due to the lining, and the lace eyelets became loose.
A U.S. military assessment prepared in early 2026 cited “significant defects” in specialized cold-weather boots.
The Marine Corps confirmed that the boots in question were the Belleville Intense Cold Weather Boots.
Due to the defects, Marines had to be issued new boots. According to a Pentagon spokesperson, the Norwegian military helped the Americans procure M77 boots, which are manufactured by the Norwegian company Alfa.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Marine Corps Forces in Europe and Africa stated that U.S. military personnel utilized the established host-nation support mechanism to procure local footwear.
At the same time, he denied reports that a ship carrying replacement boots had been rerouted.
The problems did not end after the Marines returned to the U.S. Additional stocks of military footwear were inspected at U.S. bases, where defective pairs were also discovered.
In April and July 2026, inspections of Belleville Intense Cold Weather boots were conducted at a Marine Corps base.
During the April inspection, inspectors examined 2,642 boots. Of those, 183 were defective.
In July, another 1,781 pairs were inspected, of which 355 were found to be defective.
Thus, a total of 4,423 boots were inspected, of which 538 had defects. The Marine Corps confirmed this figure.
A military briefing noted that the industry standard is a 2–3% failure rate. However, during the July inspection, the percentage of defective footwear was higher than in April.
The Marine Corps reported that, based on the inspection results, it has developed a corrective action plan for Belleville. The plan calls for the individual replacement of defective Intense Cold Weather boots.
Belleville stated that it is working directly with the Marines to resolve the issues and is committed to promptly addressing the identified deficiencies.
The issues with military footwear have arisen amid a broader discussion in the U.S. regarding requirements for the domestic production of military footwear.
Under U.S. law, Pentagon funds generally cannot be used to purchase foreign-made military footwear unless a specific exception applies.
A separate bill, the BOOTS Act, imposes even stricter requirements on footwear that service members may wear as part of their uniform. Specifically, the bill proposes allowing the use of additional combat boots only if they are entirely manufactured in the U.S. using American materials and components.
At the same time, proponents of these changes and military officials are debating whether U.S. manufacturers are capable of providing the necessary quantities and quality of military footwear.
Newsweek reports on these issues, citing a Pentagon spokesperson and U.S. military documents.
As a reminder, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hagseth and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius met in Washington, D.C., to discuss NATO 3.0, increased defense spending by European allies, and the defense-industrial bases of both countries.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated in Warsaw that the Russian Federation, an aggressor state, is preparing hybrid attacks using drones or missiles against European countries that support Ukraine. He named Poland among those countries.
