Announcing DATE Southern Ocean 

The Decisive Action Training Environment (DATE) expands again with the release of DATE Southern Ocean, developed in partnership with the New Zealand Defence Force. A companion to DATE Arctic, this new operational environment (OE) explores the strategic dynamics of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean—regions governed by the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) yet increasingly shaped by competition over access, influence, and future resource claims. DATE Southern Ocean introduces a politically stable but logistically extreme theater that challenges units to operate across time-sensitive, multidomain conditions under strict legal and environmental constraints. 

 

This expansion enables training for a range of modern challenges: maritime domain awareness, fisheries enforcement, degraded communications, space-based ISR, and multinational sustainment across vast, under-governed waters. It also emphasizes non-kinetic competition in the global commons, where international law, scientific cooperation, and environmental protection intersect with strategic ambition. 

In the narrative, nations like Donovia and Olvana quietly expand their presence behind the cover of scientific missions—establishing dual-use infrastructure, probing treaty limits, and increasing influence in key Antarctic gateway cities. As tensions rise in this frozen frontier, DATE Southern Ocean offers a compelling venue for rehearsing tomorrow’s competition in places where the rules are clear—but the intentions are not. 

 

This latest DATE expansion underscores the U.S. Army’s commitment to preparing for the unique challenges of modern competition and conflict, ensuring a readiness for multidomain operations in any environment. TRADOC G2 remains dedicated to building a globally connected unclassified training environment that reflects the complexities of the real-world OE and threats.