The Norwegian-led international exercise Cold Response has concluded. The exercise took place from 9–22 March and gathered over 30,000 soldiers from 14 allied countries. This was announced by the Norwegian, Finnish, and Swedish armed forces in their respective press releases.

During the exercise, land and air drills were conducted in the northern parts of Norway and Finland, while naval exercises were carried out in the waters around Norway. According to the Norwegian armed forces, the exercise encompassed areas such as land, sea, air, special forces, cyber, and space. At the same time, they emphasise the importance of development and evaluation, rather than results.

– The question of who “wins” is actually less relevant. We are like the (football team) Bodø/Glimt: more focused on performance and learning than on the outcome. That is where we develop. The exercise will be evaluated thoroughly, but everything indicates that the exchange has been significant for those who trained, says the exercise director and head of the Forsvarets operational headquarters, Vice Admiral Rune Andersen in a press release.

In the statement, the Norwegian armed forces underline that the exercise is conducted in a time of increased geopolitical uncertainty, with greater expectations on European defence capabilities.

– The exercise demonstrates a strong alliance that can defend Norway and the alliance. However, there is increasing uncertainty in the world, so we see a need to strengthen the armed forces, says Rune Andersen.

In a press release from the Finnish armed forces, it is highlighted that the Finnish part of the exercise was able to be conducted without serious accidents. The exercise took place in Finnish Lapland, which, with its demanding winter environment, posed high demands on both safety planning and execution.

– In such a comprehensive exercise, safety is the result of planning, training, and maintaining a continuous situational awareness, explains the Defence Forces' safety officer, Major Juha Hirsimäki in the press release.

The Finnish armed forces emphasise that weather, terrain, and ground conditions posed significant safety risks during the exercise. Among other things, parts of the exercise were held in soft and mossy terrain, which reportedly surprised mechanised forces that were not accustomed to the Arctic environment.

– In the Arctic region, one must act according to nature's conditions, but not at its mercy. Soldiers must know how to keep warm and dry, as well as how to dry their equipment, says Captain Ari Järveläinen, head of work and service safety at the Jaeger Brigade.

The Swedish armed forces highlight that Sweden participated in the exercise for the first time as a full NATO member. The Swedish Army conducted the exercise with support from combat aircraft, transport aircraft, and helicopters, primarily in the area around Rovaniemi in Finland.

– Just the fact that Swedish units have transported thousands of soldiers and vehicles from southern Sweden to northern Finland shows that we can quickly mobilise and, together with other NATO countries, deter an enemy from the east, says Brigadier General Michael Carlén, head of the First Army Division in a press release.

Carlén and his staff led the Fourth Mechanised Brigade, which includes units from eight Swedish regiments, along with the 32nd Intelligence Battalion and a company from the United States Marine Corps.

In total, around 6,000 soldiers and officers participated on the ground in Finnish Lapland, including an armoured vehicle company from the 19th Mechanised Brigade, a Finnish armoured battalion, as well as mountain troops from France and Italy. From the Swedish Air Force, over 1,000 personnel participated, conducting operations in the airspace over the northernmost parts of the three Nordic countries.

– Cold Response 26 has given the units a clearly increased capability in warfare in this terrain and climate, but has also provided us with valuable experiences related to FLF Finland, says Colonel Lennart Widerström, exercise leader for the Swedish contribution to Cold Response 26.