Boots are on the ground in Mertarvik. The U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Marine Corps started work on Wednesday, helping the community construct a new site for the Village of Newtok. Newtok invited the U.S. Department of Defense to conduct its Innovations Readiness Training in Mertarvik. The training allows reserve forces to practice setting up infrastructure in unfamiliar environments. Over the next 10 weeks, military personnel will construct a gravel road, a landfill, a heavy equipment shop, and four homes in Mertarvik.