The upcoming Cold Response 2026 will be the largest military exercise in Norway in 2026 with an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 participants from more than ten countries.
”There will be about 4,000 US soldiers,” said spokesperson Vegard Norstad Finberg with the Norwegian Armed Forces when asked by the Barents Observer.
The live phase of the exercise, which will train how quickly allied troops can be dispatched to protect the northern regions of Norway and Finland, kicks off on March 9 and will last for ten days.
The US troops will for the most operate on land in Northern Norway. […]
An important component of Cold Response will be receiving allied forces and starting up activities in northern Finland. Movement of troops will be seen across borders from the Ofoten and Troms areas in northern Norway into Finnish Lapland, as well as from northern Sweden into Finland.
In Lapland, the exercise will for the most take place at the Rovajärvi shooting range and in Sodankylä where the Finnish Armed Forces has its northernmost brigade-level unit specialised in Arctic training and ground-based air defence. Läs artikel