Northern Strike is Underway in Michigan

LANSING, Mich. — Northern Strike (NS) 25-2, one of the Department of Defense’s largest reserve component readiness exercises, is taking place now across Michigan until August 16, 2025.

WHO: Michigan National Guard to include over 7,500 participants from 35 states and territories and nine international partners
WHAT: Northern Strike
WHEN: August 2-16
WHERE: Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center (CGJMTC), Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center (Alpena CRTC), Lake Huron, Rogers City Quarry, Battle Creek Air National Guard Base, Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Fort Custer Training Center, Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airfield and K.I. Sawyer Airfield in Marquette.

Over 7,500 participants from 35 states and territories and nine international partners will converge at Michigan’s National All-Domain Warfighting Center (NADWC) for training focused on Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2), Combined Arms Live-Fire Exercise (CALFEX), Cyberspace and Electromagnetic Activities (CEMA), Defensive Cyberspace Operations (DCO), contested sustainment and logistics and expeditionary skills. This year’s summer iteration of the annual exercise will incorporate training scenarios involving homeland security and defense against unmanned aerial systems (UAS) including more than 30 fixed wing aircraft offering force protection, support and refueling operations. The En-Route Patient Staging System (ERPSS) will prepare injured patients for transport to a safe location through Aeromedical Evacuation (AE) all while specially trained medics provide medical care. Additionally, maritime training scenarios will focus on protecting high-value assets, conducting freedom of navigation operations, integrating unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs), as well as fixing, tracking and engaging targets within littoral and open water environments. The Joint Personnel Recovery Agency will integrate with training units to test newly developed combat search, rescue and recovery systems during the exercise.

In addition to enhancing our nation’s defense capabilities, the exercise series also serves as an important boost to the local economy. It brings an average of $38 million to Michigan’s economy annually in military pay, travel and local spending in northern lower Michigan.

The public should note there will be increased traffic on Michigan roads on August 16 as personnel are traveling back home. There will also be a variety of aircraft taking part in the exercise with aircraft visible to the naked eye throughout Michigan’s lower peninsula. 

Media are invited to attend to capture training exercises and remarks from leadership. Camp Grayling is accessible through the front gate at 4 Howe Rd., Grayling, MI 49738. To RSVP, please contact Michael Kroll at 517-285-9734 or krollm2@michigan.gov. For more information, please contact the MING Public Affairs office at 517-730-5776 or PAO Email Address. For additional Northern Strike 25-2 content, please visit Northern Strike 25-2 Content Album.