Michigan is gearing up for a significant event on the military calendar as more than 6,300 military members are set to arrive for the Northern Strike training exercise, scheduled to run from August 3 through August 17. The participants, hailing from 32 states and territories along with five international partners, will be training across various Michigan locations, including Camp Grayling and the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, which form the National All-Domain Warfighting Center (NADWC), FOX 2 Detroit reports.

This year's training is particularly focused on expeditionary skills and response tactics to unmanned aerial systems and maritime scenarios meant to protect high-value assets. The Joint Personnel Recovery Agency will also be testing newly developed combat search, rescue, and recovery systems. This diverse exercise includes operations in Lake Huron, Rogers City Quarry, and several airfields across Michigan. As U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul D. Rogers noted the exercise is crucial in reflecting Michigan's and the NADWC's capacity to support Department of Defense objectives, per the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

Northern Strike is not just a training ground for military maneuvers, it also serves as a fiscal stimulus, injecting approximately $38 million into the Michigan economy each year through military pay, travel, and associated spending. The exercise, sponsored by the Army National Guard and accredited by the Joint National Training Capability (JNTC), is designed to enhance readiness for joint and partner forces across all domains of warfare. "Northern Strike is unique, not only because of the integration of defense innovators and academia, but because the exercise reflects the changes service members are seeing on the modern battlefield," Col. Todd Fitzpatrick, the land exercise director for Northern Strike, said according to the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.