NATO launches Arctic drills focused on civilians
NATO's Cold Response drills across Norway and Finland, with 25,000 troops, are focusing on civilian readiness to support defence efforts in the Arctic.
NATO kicked off its biennial Arctic drills on Monday, this year highlighting the role of civilians in supporting military operations.
The exercises come amid heightened tensions following US President Donald Trump’s controversial attempt to take over Greenland from Denmark, a fellow NATO member.
Named Cold Response, the drills focus on defending the European Arctic, where NATO members Norway and Finland share a border with Russia.
This year’s exercises will run from March 9 to 19.
The drills are now part of Arctic Sentry, NATO’s mission to bolster its presence in the polar region—a move designed in part to ease tensions sparked by Trump’s Greenland push.
Trump insists the US needs Greenland to fend off threats from Russian and Chinese interests in the Arctic, and that Denmark cannot ensure its security.
The governments of both Denmark and Greenland say the island is not for sale.
Cold Response
Around 25,000 troops from 14 countries, including the United States and Denmark, will take part in this year’s Cold Response military exercise, primarily held across northern Norway and Finland.
The US is expected to contribute about 4,000 troops to the drills.
Ahead of the exercise, the US military withdrew one squadron of F-35 fighter jets from participation. Officials did not say whether the ongoing war in the Middle East influenced the decision.
"The US military is a globally deployed force and it is not abnormal for forces to be dynamically re-tasked or reallocated for a host of reasons," a spokesperson for the US Marine Corps Forces Europe told Reuters.
Focus on civilian readiness
Norway has declared 2026 the year of "total defence", which puts emphasis on boosting the readiness of civilians, businesses and public institutions to cope with war and other catastrophes, the latest move by a Nordic nation to boost civilian preparedness.
"We want our military to do its job of defending the country. To do that, we are completely reliant on most aspects of society functioning as normal," Major-General Lars Lervik, head of the Norwegian Army, told Reuters.
"This is also an opportunity to rehearse specifically where civilians can give direct support to the military effort, for instance, with the health service treating a higher number of injured soldiers, Norwegian or from allied forces, than usual."
On Thursday, the military will run a scenario testing the ability of hospitals in northern Norway to treat a high number of casualties being transported from an imaginary frontline in Finland.