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At -29 degrees Fahrenheit upon arrival and with an ever-present threat of encountering polar bears, Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer journeyed to the Arctic Circle to learn firsthand how military operations in Earth’s final frontier are key to national security.
In Fox Nation’s latest special, “Battle for the Arctic,” the “America’s Newsroom” co-anchor embedded with the U.S. Navy for part of its three-week “Operation Ice Camp 2024,” which has been held every other year since 1946.
Hemmer shared an inside look at his experience with “Outnumbered,” Monday.
Fox News’ Bill Hemmer outside the USS Hampton.
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“220 miles north of the North Shore of Alaska in early March, and it’s 50 below, and you sleep in a tent,” he said.
“In all seriousness, there are so many stories happening in what is considered the Earth’s final frontier,” he explained. “Whether it involves the U.S. and Russia or now the U.S., Russia and potentially China.”
Eight countries have territory expanding into the Arctic Circle, including Russia.
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One Navy Admiral told Hemmer, “Russia considers this their backyard, and they would love nothing more than to take claim to the entire Arctic region. It’s full of resources. The trade routes are opening more and more each year. They consider this a place that they have dominance.”
Hemmer said his three-day trip also provided the opportunity to talk to naval officials and scientists “on top of the world.”
“[It’s] an opportunity to see the kind of life they have for three months at a time in a nuclear submarine, which evades, hopefully, all sorts of detection on behalf of Moscow or Beijing or anyone else.”
Fox News crew outside of the USS Hampton. (Fox News – Bill Hemmer)
Hemmer was given the privilege of boarding the USS Hampton, a nuclear submarine that cracks through the Arctic ice when surfacing. But with frigid temperatures and thick ice, it still took more than an hour with a chainsaw to break through the ice and gain access to the hatch.
The USS Hampton’s Commanding Officer Mike Brown voiced concern over potential shooting matches with Russia, but he assured Hemmer that his crew is prepared for action.
“This U.S. submarine force is ready if that’s what we’re called to do,” Brown said.CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO FOX NATION
Fox Nation subscribers can get a closer look at Hemmer’s adventure of a lifetime by streaming “Battle for the Arctic.”
The Northern Lights from Ice Camp Whale. (Fox News – Bill Hemmer)
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Fox News’ Michael Lee contributed to this report.
Amy Nelson is a producer with Fox News Digital.
