NATO began the Cold Response exercise in the Arctic on March 9. It focuses on the defense of the Alliance in the European Arctic, where Finland and Norway border Russia, and will continue until March 19.
Reuters writes about this.
This time, the exercises focus more on the role of civilians in supporting the military. Starting this year, they became part of the NATOʼs Arctic Sentinel mission to strengthen the Allianceʼs presence in the region. It was launched to ease tensions with the US President Donald Trump over Greenland.
This year, about 25 000 troops from about 14 countries will take part in the exercises, mostly in northern Norway and Finland. The United States is expected to send about 4 000 troops. Before the exercises began, the Americans withdrew a squadron of F-35 fighter jets. The US military declined to say whether the war in the Middle East was the reason for the decision.
Norway has declared 2026 the year of “total defense”. The move is aimed at increasing the readiness of civilians, businesses and government institutions to deal with war and other disasters, the latest step by the Scandinavian country to boost its civilian preparedness.
On March 12, the military will test the ability of hospitals in northern Norway to treat a large number of wounded being transported from a fictional front line in Finland.
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