Exercise Cold Response 26 strengthens Allied cooperation in the High North

In this episode, we track six connected stories that show NATO’s air enterprise accelerating integration from the High North to the Black Sea — pairing persistent presence with scalable deterrence and multi-domain readiness.

We begin in Finland, where a NATO AWACS aircraft conducts its first mission in Finnish airspace, a milestone after Finland’s accession that expands long-range surveillance and airborne battle management in the High North. Coordinated by Joint Force Command Norfolk and tasked by Allied Air Command, the mission demonstrates seamless integration with Finnish command-and-control and F/A-18 formations.

That integration scales up under enhanced Vigilance Activity Eastern Sentry, with two back-to-back Flexible Deterrent Option missions spanning NATO’s eastern flank. On March 4, Allies conduct Counter Anti-Access/Area Denial training near Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base in Romania, combining French Mirage 2000Ds, German Eurofighters, Spanish and Romanian fighters, and key enabling tankers under NATO air command-and-control. On March 5, the effort shifts north for a multi-domain find, fix, track, and target exercise around the Baltics, linking air, ground command-and-control, and surface-based air and missile defence contributions from multiple Allies.

We then stay on the eastern flank with another Eastern Sentry event in Romania focused on Integrated Air and Missile Defence and counter-unmanned aerial systems, integrating Romanian, Greek, Turkish, and French capabilities with AWACS support under NATO control — reinforcing NATO’s ability to connect sensors, shooters, and decision-making against evolving drone threats.

In the High North, Sweden concludes its first Icelandic Air Policing mission since joining NATO, flying JAS 39 Gripens from Keflavík and operating within NATO’s command-and-control framework alongside Danish F-35s and German Eurofighters, while coordinating closely with Icelandic authorities.

We also mark long-term capability growth as Poland celebrates 20 years of F-16 operations, from its 2003 decision to acquire 48 aircraft and modernize key bases, to current contributions to NATO air defence and the planned upgrade of its fleet to the F-16V configuration.

Finally, Exercise Cold Response 26 closes out Arctic Sentry’s first major exercise, bringing 25,000 personnel from 14 NATO nations together across Norway, Sweden, and Finland. With AWACS supporting from Ørland and the new Combined Air Operations Centre in Bodø commanding air operations, the exercise demonstrates NATO’s ability to coordinate, sustain, and operate in demanding Arctic conditions.

Together, these stories highlight a consistent message: NATO is strengthening its air and missile defence posture through interoperability, distributed operations, and multi-domain integration — delivering credible deterrence across every corner of the Alliance.

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