Key Points
Norway will host the NATO-led Cold Response 26 exercise in March 2026, involving more than 25,000 troops from 12 nations, including about 3,000 U.S. Marines, with Arctic training beginning in January.The exercise will test NATO’s ability to deploy, integrate, and sustain joint forces in the High North following the expansion of alliance responsibilities across the Nordic region.
The Norwegian Armed Forces, alongside about 3,000 United States Marines and other U.S. and NATO units, will conduct Exercise Cold Response 26 in northern Norway in March 2026, with allied forces beginning cold-weather training deployments as early as January, U.S. and Norwegian officials confirmed.
The exercise is a Norwegian-led, routine winter drill designed to test NATO’s ability to operate and fight in extreme Arctic conditions. According to the organizers, more than 25,000 military personnel from 12 nations and NATO command structures will participate, making it one of the largest allied training events in the High North in recent years.
Cold Response 26 comes shortly after NATO Joint Force Command Norfolk assumed operational responsibility for the full Nordic region, a move intended to strengthen alliance coordination across Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and surrounding maritime areas. The exercise will focus on interoperability, logistics, and rapid reinforcement in a cold-weather environment, reflecting NATO’s evolving defense posture in northern Europe.
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As noted by U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa, U.S. participation is intended to support Norwegian defense plans and improve the alliance’s ability to reinforce the region in a crisis. U.S. forces will deploy from bases in the continental United States and integrate with Norwegian and allied units upon arrival, testing reception, staging, onward movement, and integration procedures under winter conditions.
A central element of the exercise will be the deployment of U.S. Marines from II Marine Expeditionary Force, including units from the 2nd Marine Division based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The Marines will conduct operations in snow, mountainous terrain, and sub-zero temperatures to demonstrate their ability to fight as part of a larger NATO force in the Arctic.
“This exercise isn’t just about preparing for today’s threats; it’s about building the capabilities and strengthening the capacity necessary to deter future aggression and safeguard our shared interests,” said Maj. Gen. Daniel L. Shipley, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa, in a statement.
According to the U.S. Marine Corps, Cold Response 26 will serve as a key test of a U.S.-based Marine Air-Ground Task Force’s ability to deploy rapidly across the Atlantic, link up with host-nation forces, and conduct sustained operations in support of larger NATO missions. The drill will also evaluate command-and-control integration between U.S. forces, Norwegian headquarters, and NATO command structures.
U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Farrell J. Sullivan, commanding general of the 2nd Marine Division, said the focus will be on synchronizing operations across all domains in support of Norwegian-led defense plans. “This means ensuring every domain is synchronized to support the warfighter on the ground and to provide our NATO partners with the decisive combat power they need, when they need it,” Sullivan said.
In addition to ground forces, Cold Response 26 will involve a broad range of U.S. military assets. The U.S. Navy will deploy P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and Seabee engineering units, while the U.S. Army’s 21st Theater Sustainment Command will provide bulk fuel and logistics capabilities. The U.S. Air Force will contribute F-35A Lightning II fighters, KC-135 Stratotankers, HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters, MC-130J Commando II aircraft, and CV-22 Osprey tiltrotors. U.S. Special Operations Command will also participate with selected units.
Allied participants will include forces from Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, alongside NATO command elements. The exercise will simulate a realistic security environment, including contested logistics, maritime operations, and joint air-ground coordination under severe weather conditions.
Norwegian defense officials say the exercise is part of a long-standing training cycle that ensures allied forces remain capable of operating in the Arctic year-round. Cold Response exercises have been held regularly for decades, but the scale and complexity of the 2026 iteration reflect the growing importance of the region in NATO defense planning.
The Arctic and High North have gained increased strategic attention as Russia continues to expand its military infrastructure in the region, while NATO has expanded northward with the accession of Finland and Sweden. Cold Response 26 is intended to demonstrate that allied forces can deploy, integrate, and sustain combat operations across the Nordic region if required.
