From Ice and Rock to Technology: How Mountain Troops Will Need to Face the Challenge of Recruitment, Training, and Innovation

Abstract This article emphasizes the critical need for innovation, particularly in training, equipment, and strategic doctrine of mountain warfare. Technological advances are becoming essential not only to enhance operational effectiveness but also to offset the reduced physical readiness of new recruits, while the effects of climate change require training programmes and tactical planning to evolve to accommodate new environmental realities. Combining historical analysis with operational case studies, demographic trends, and insights from cutting-edge research, the article adopts a multidisciplinary methodology, allowing a nuanced exploration of how new tools and adaptive strategies must be systematically integrated into both recruitment models and military doctrine.