Finnish Defence Forces and allies to exercise arctic defence in Cold Response 26
The Finnish Defence Forces will participate this spring’s key arctic exercise series during 9.–20.3.2026. The Norwegian-led Cold Response 26 -exercise will convene to northern areas of Finland, Norway, and Sweden up to c. 25,000 soldiers from altogether 14 nations. In Finland, the exercise activity will focus on the Finnish Defence Forces’ exercise area at Rovajärvi but forces will be on the move across northern Finland.
Cold Response 26 strengthens NATO's defense in the Arctic
Key objectives for the exercise include strengthening NATO’s northern area, operating jointly under demanding conditions, as well as testing of receiving allied forces and logistics.
The exercise will be participated by c. 7,500 soldiers in Finland. The strength of the Finnish forces will be c. 3,500 soldiers, of whom c. 2,000 are reservists. The rest, c. 4,000 soldiers will arrive in Finland from Sweden, the U.S. A., France, Italy, and the U.K.
Seamless co-operation strengthens defence of the north
The Finnish Defence Forces will assign personnel to NATO’s different commands according to degrees of authority for the duration of the exercise. The multinational force to exercise in Finland will be led by NATO’s Multi-Corps Land Component Command (MCLCC-NW) that will be reinforced by the Alliance’s personnel.
The Army-led exercise will primarily take place at the Rovajärvi training area. In addition to Finnish soldiers, troops from Sweden, the United States, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom will participate, with the largest unit being a Swedish division headquarters with its staff and c. 2,000-soldier-strong force. The exercise enhances the operational interoperability between conscripts and allies at all levels of operations.
The Air Force will support the entity by the F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets from the Lapland and Karelia Air Wings. Finnish fighter jets will operate across an extensive area that covers the airspace of northern Norway, Sweden, and Finland, with the focus in Finland on the area between Rovaniemi, Sodankylä, Utsjoki, and Kilpisjärvi.
The Finnish Defence Forces’ Logistics Command will ensure the success of the exercise by providing for receiving the international forces and logistics support. The Finnish Defence Forces’ C5 Agency will execute the most substantial refresher exercise in its history that will have a C5 system battalion comprising nearly c. 350 reservists set up and sustain the critical signals networks necessary for the maneuvering forces.
The Finnish Defence Forces’ exercise entity will be led by the Defence Command ACOS J7 Training, Brigadier General Manu Tuominen, and the Army livex phase in Lapland will be led by the Commander of the Jaeger Brigade, Colonel Marko Kivelä.
Utti Jaeger Regiment will also have exercises in Northern Finland’s harsh winter conditions during February and March. The exercise activities will involve the Defence Forces’ personnel, conscripts, reservists and soldiers from the Allied countries, about 1,000 persons in total. The exercise area is vast, covering the Finnish territory north of the towns of Oulu and Nurmes. Exercise operations are carried out mostly in small teams.
Impact on flow of traffic
Major force movement will have a significant impact on traffic in the northern area. Concentration marches will be visible on the road network especially before the livex phase during 9.–11.3. and after its completion during 19.–21.3. Road users are asked to reserve a bit more time than usual and exert special vigilance in the vicinity of major detachments on the move.
Arctic security as part of a more extensive entity
Cold Response 26 is a part of NATO’s enhanced presence Arctic Sentry that reinforces the Alliance’s capability and permanent presence in northern areas. Arctic Sentry is activity by which NATO responds to the changed security situation and increased interest in the arctic area. NATO’s Arctic Sentry -activity in the north is led by Joint Force Command Norfolk (JFC Norfolk.) NATO’s presence in the north conveys the message of the member nations’ commitment to safeguarding regional peace and security also in Finland.
