Thousands of U.S. Marines will arrive in Norway this month to begin preparations for Cold Response 26, a large-scale NATO exercise focused on Arctic warfare, as tensions over Greenland continue to strain transatlantic relations.
Led by Norway, the drills aim to assess NATO’s readiness to operate in extreme cold-weather environments.
The exercise will involve about 3,000 Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, alongside more than 25,000 personnel from allied nations including Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Supporting U.S. forces include special operations units, a Navy Seabee contingent and a range of Air Force assets such as F-35A Lightning II jets, KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft and HH-60W Jolly Green II rescue helicopters.
According to the commanding general of the 2nd Marine Division, the deployment highlights the United States’ enduring commitment to NATO.
Cold Response 26, scheduled for March, comes at a time of growing uncertainty over U.S.–European relations.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, President Trump said Washington would not resort to force to acquire Greenland but emphasized his desire for immediate negotiations, while also questioning NATO’s commitment to defending the United States.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte countered those remarks, reaffirming that the alliance would support the U.S. in the event of an attack, as it did after 9/11.
France later called for a NATO military exercise in Greenland, following recent reconnaissance deployments by several European countries under Denmark’s Operation Arctic Endurance.
