The Arctic Shield exercise is underway

By the Danish Defence

The Arctic Shield 2026 exercise is a large-scale operation involving more than 400 soldiers from 11 NATO nations.

The exercise takes place on land, at sea and in the air, particularly around the village of Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland, where the soldiers practise a wide range of military skills under the demanding conditions that operations in the Arctic present. The exercise forms part of NATO’s wider operation, Arctic Sentry.

On the first day of the exercise, Minister of Defence Jeppe Bruus and Chief of Defence Michael Hyldgaard, Minister for Foreign Affairs Múte B. Egede and the Commander of Joint Arctic Command Søren Andersen visited the exercise, where they observed the training involving soldiers from the various countries.

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

“The operation is focused and effective. There is good cooperation between everyone. Active-duty soldiers, Home Guard personnel, reservists, civilians and local people are working together. It’s brilliant,” says Michael Hyldgaard.

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

“It is clear that the nations want to be here. They regard the exercise as important and are seizing the opportunity to show that we are united in this task,” says Michael Hyldgaard, continuing: “There is also excellent cooperation with both the local authorities and the public. That is essential if we are to carry out the task,” says the Chief of Defence.

During the exercise, soldiers are practising various types of land military operations in Arctic regions. This involves, amongst others, 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 do units from both the Swedish and Norwegian Home Guards.

Finnish special operations forces practise parachute jumps from a Danish EH101 helicopter in the area around Narsarsuaq during Exercise Arctic Shield 2026. Photo: Rune Dyrholm / The Danish Defence

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

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

Photo: Danish Defence

Activities across several parts of Greenland

The Defence Command and the Arctic Command are supporting the training activities on land with helicopters, ships, medical expertise and facilities, as well as logistical support for the participating nations.

In parallel with Arctic Shield 2026, other training and presence operations are being conducted in the Arctic as part of NATO’s enhanced presence.

This includes, amongst other things, air operations in the Arctic, where Danish, Canadian and American fighter aircraft are training together, supported by several specialised aircraft types over Greenland.