Exercise Cold Response 26 with 7,500 soldiers will affect traffic in Finland

The Finnish Defence Forces will participate in the most important series of Arctic exercises on 9-20 March 2026. Exercise Cold Response 26, led by Norway, will bring 25,000 soldiers from 14 countries to Northern parts of Finland, Norway and Sweden. The exercise is part of NATO’s enhanced presence, Arctic Sentry, which strengthens the Alliance's capability and permanent presence in the Nordic area.

The Field Training Exercise in Finland will involve soldiers from Finland, Sweden, the United States, France, Italy and the United Kingdom. Only about 3,500 of the total 7,500 NATO soldiers operating in the Army-led exercise are Finnish. One of the key objectives of the exercise is to improve the Finnish Defence Forces’ capacity to receive and lead forces from the Allied countries. Soldiers coming from different NATO member states will arrive in Finland via different border crossing points non-simultaneously.

– For us, this is the most important exercise of the year also from the perspective of logistics and Host Nation Support. Interoperability between us and the forces participating in the exercise is already good, but no combat is possible until we have got the forces successfully to the area. Exercises in which we get to practise how to transport forces safely and seamlessly in winter conditions are therefore very important, says director of the Army exercise Colonel Marko Kivelä.

Marching units will affect traffic especially in Northern Finland

The exercise will take place primarily in the Rovajärvi training area, but military units will affect traffic also elsewhere. The areas affected include Rovaniemi, Kemijärvi and Sodankylä in particular, both before and after the exercise. The largest individual international unit participating in the exercise is a Swedish Division headquarters and its subordinate units, which will be transported to Finland via several border crossing points simultaneously. The Swedish forces will affect the traffic on 9-12 March especially on main road 4 (VT4) between Tornio and Rovamiemi, trunk road 83 (KT83) between Pello and Rovaniemi, and on trunk road 82 (KT82) in the vicinity of Rovajärvi. Also, Kuusamontie until Oikarainen and from there to Permantokoski to Pattaskivalo and further to road 82 will be affected.

– Part of the forces has arrived in Finland last weekend to learn about conditions and equipment, for example. Interoperability and cooperation over the years make it possible, however, that the majority of forces will be transported to Finland only when the exercise is about to begin, ready for combat, Colonel Kivelä says.

The second largest individual unit in the exercise is a French Battalion. Apart from their own equipment, the French soldiers will also be using the Finnish Defence Forces’ vehicles. The unit will move to the training area from the garrison in Sodankylä. An Italian unit, Jaeger Brigade companies and the reservist units that will be made up in Sodankylä will also be transported to the exercise from Sodankylä. These units will affect the traffic on main road 4, on Ristonmänniköntie and Javaruksentie especially on Tuesday, 10 March.

– This is an important exercise also for our conscripts and reservists. Conscripts and personnel from various brigade-level units get to cooperate in demanding winter conditions of Rovajärvi, and challenge themselves. The majority of our forces is made up of reservists. It is great that they will get more and more experience in cooperating with soldiers from other NATO member states, Colonel Kivelä says.

Apart from Sodankylä, most of the Finnish troops participating in the exercise will be transported from Kajaani, Rovaniemi and Hämeenlinna. The national troops will affect the traffic on main road 4, especially between Rovaniemi and Sodankylä, and on main road 5, between Kajaani and Sodankylä, on 9-10 March.

As a whole, troops will be using the roads on 9-12 March and 19-21 Match, affecting the traffic especially on:

• Main road 4 between Tornio-Rovaniemi
• Trunk road 83 between Pello-Rovaniemi
• Main road 5 between Kajaani-Sodankylä
• Main road 4 between Sodankylä-Rovajärvi
• Road 9613 (Javaruksentie) Vuojärvi-Kemijärvi
• Trunk road 82 in the vicinity of Rovajärvi

Smaller military units may also be using the roads elsewhere in Finland especially before the beginning and after the end of the exercise. Authorities have prepared for heavier traffic. Those on the road on the dates above are kindly requested to consider alternative routes, if possible, and reserve extra driving time.