Major NATO drill gets underway in northern Nordic region

HELSINKI, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Some 25,000 military personnel from 14 NATO member states are taking part in Exercise Cold Response 2026 in northern Norway, Finland and Sweden, the Finnish Defense Forces said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

The exercise, which began on Monday and is scheduled to continue until late March, forms part of an enhanced NATO presence in the Nordic region under the name Arctic Sentry, an ongoing operation through which the alliance is responding to the changed security environment and growing strategic interest in the Arctic, according to the Finnish Defense Forces.

Led by Norway, the exercise involves troops from 14 nations, including Norway, the United States, Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Canada, Spain, Turkiye, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Belgium. Norway has described it as its largest military exercise of 2026.

The main land and air operations are being carried out in northern Norway and northern Finland, while maritime drills are taking place in waters off the Norwegian coast. According to a press release issued by the Norwegian Armed Forces, around 11,800 personnel are training on Norwegian territory.

In northern Finland, 7,500 infantry and other land forces personnel are participating in the drills, with more than half coming from other countries, the Finnish Defense Forces said. It added that a key element of the exercise is the safe transport of troops across several border crossings into Finland and the deployment of forces in winter conditions.

According to the Swedish Armed Forces, a total of 3,000 Swedish soldiers and civilian employees are taking part in the exercise.

The United States has reduced its participation and cancelled the deployment of several F-35 fighter jets. According to Norwegian media, the changes were made well before the current Middle East conflict, but were believed to have been part of preparations for possible operations there. ■