Operation Deep __link__ Freeze -

It remains active today as a joint military-civilian effort. The U.S. Air Force provides intercontinental airlift using LC-130 aircraft (equipped with skis), and the U.S. Coast Guard deploys icebreakers like the Polar Star to clear paths for supply ships. 2. Rainbow Six Siege: Operation Deep Freeze

It serves as the logistical backbone for the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) , managed by the National Science Foundation (NSF). operation deep freeze

The crown jewel of Operation Deep Freeze was the establishment of the . In the summer of 1956-57, Admiral Byrd himself flew to the site to supervise the airdrop of construction materials. The plan was simple on paper: fly eight R4Ds in a convoy, each towing a 1,200-pound sled of supplies. They would land on the polar plateau at 9,000 feet elevation, where the "surface" was actually 8,000 feet of compacted snow. It remains active today as a joint military-civilian effort

In the most recent season (October 2024 – February 2025), Operation Deep Freeze achieved the following milestones (based on public USAP and 109th AW data): Coast Guard deploys icebreakers like the Polar Star

Operation Deep Freeze began during the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957–1958, a global scientific campaign to study Earth’s polar regions.

During the Cold War, Antarctica was a strategic no-man's land. It was the only continent not yet claimed in totality, though seven nations (Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the UK) had territorial claims. The United States and the Soviet Union had none, but both recognized the scientific and political importance of establishing a permanent presence there.

Operation Deep Freeze is not without controversy. For decades, the military operated with Cold War-era environmental standards. At McMurdo, waste was simply bulldozed into the sea or burned in open pits. At the South Pole, old fuel drums and abandoned vehicles were left to rust in the snow.