Arctic Shield 2026 Is Underway

Chief of Defense Michael W. Hyldgaard visits the Arctic Shield exercise in Greenland. Source: Forsvaret

More than 400 soldiers from 11 countries are training for Arctic operations during the Arctic Shield 2026 exercise.

The exercise takes place on land, at sea, and in the air, particularly around the settlement of Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland, where the soldiers train a wide range of military skills under the demanding conditions that operations in the Arctic offer. The exercise is part of NATO’s overall Arctic Sentry activity.

On the first day of the exercise, Minister of Defense Jeppe Bruus, Chief of Defense Michael Hyldgaard, Minister of Foreign Affairs Múte B. Egede, and the Commander of Arctic Command Søren Andersen visited the exercise, where they observed the training between the soldiers of the many countries.

Chief of Defense General Michael W. Hyldgaard was very satisfied with what he saw during the visit.

“The effort is purposeful and effective. There is good cooperation between everyone. Active soldiers, Home Guard soldiers, reservists, civilians and locals work together. It is great,” says Michael Hyldgaard.

During the ongoing exercise Arctic Shield 2026, soldiers from the Nordic countries are training together with colleagues from Belgium, France, and Canada. Both Slovenia and Poland have observer contributions to the exercise, while Germany is also participating with observers and transport support.

“It is clear that the nations want to be here. That they consider the exercise important and are taking the opportunity to show that we are together on the task,” says Michael Hyldgaard. “There is also really good cooperation with both the local authorities and citizens. That is also needed when we are going to solve the task.”

During the exercise, the soldiers train for various types of land military operations in Arctic areas. This includes, among other things, French infantry units, drone units from Belgium, and special operations forces from Finland. The Danish Home Guard also plays a major role in the exercise, as well as units from both the Swedish and Norwegian Home Guards.

Arctic specialists from Canada are participating, sharing their experience and knowledge of the harsh Arctic conditions with allies from other NATO countries, and Canada is also supporting the exercise with transport capacity.

Dutch marines are also participating in the exercise, but they are conducting their training in the fjord system around Kangerlussuaq, which is north of the Arctic Circle.