The Arctic is gaining greater military significance, and mastering combat in Arctic conditions is becoming more important, according to officials. This year's edition of Cold Response is part of NATO's increased presence in the Arctic area called Arctic sentry, with Sweden participating with the largest brigade so far. Over 30,000 NATO soldiers participated in Cold Response, most from Norwegian territory. The exercise involved personnel from multiple countries exercising in northern Sweden, Finland, and Norway in the area called Nordkalotten, highlighting the coalition's focus on the strategically vital region bordering Russia.
Sweden's expanded role in Arctic defense includes forming two brigades to defend Nordkalotten, with I19 in Boden forming one and preparing to lead a NATO base in Finland. For the first time, Sweden is sending a larger brigade with division leadership to Finland for Cold Response. However, most Swedish army units depend on mobilized personnel, with few units deployable at short notice, according to major media reports. Vinterenheten and I19 in Boden are experts in cold and train Swedes and allies from NATO on an ongoing basis, officials said.
Norway is undergoing significant military expansion, with the army tripling in size, at least on paper, according to major media. The Finnmark Brigade is being built up and should be ready by 2036, with the Porsanger battalion, established just five years ago, now part of this new formation. Finnmark is larger than Denmark, underscoring the vast terrain that forces must secure. This buildup reflects Norway's commitment to strengthening its Arctic defenses amid regional tensions.
The Norwegian Armed Forces conducted a 100-day soldier experiment with 13 soldiers in the field without support to gather new knowledge on Arctic warfare, officials said. The soldiers performed tasks including lying still and observing for several days and evacuating simulated injured persons with a pulk in heavy snow. The research project was done in collaboration with the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, with soldiers' physical condition examined before and after the exercise, and the final result will be shared with other countries, including Sweden.
Elite Arctic units are central to regional defense strategies. Sweden's airborne rangers are an elite unit with possibly the longest endurance of all Swedish defense force units, according to major media. Norway's elite soldiers for Arctic warfare use quinzhees, or snow caves, for hiding from drones' sophisticated sensors. A Norwegian officer of the Long Range Reconnaissance Squadron, nicknamed Poster Boy, is part of Norway's elite Arctic task force, designed to operate far behind enemy lines for surveillance missions, hidden in a snow-made shelter in Norwegian woods, 400 kilometers away from the Russian border.
Cold weather injuries have become a concern in the Swedish Armed Forces. In the first two months of this year, 134 deviations about cold injuries have been reported, compared to 47 in all of 2025, officials said. Most of those affected are conscripts and students, with injuries ranging from a white spot on the cheek to deeper frostbite injuries. During an exercise in Norrbotten in February, 13 conscripts at Skaraborgs regemente, P 4, suffered various types of cold injuries after the heater in their tent stopped working. A review of cold injuries in the Swedish Armed Forces has been initiated and should be ready in May.
Drone and autonomous system testing is advancing in Arctic conditions. Exercise Heimdall involved around 170 people from 13 military departments and 23 civilian companies testing drones and autonomous systems in Arctic conditions, according to major media. Drones play a central role in Ukraine's defense and need to function in northern conditions. Forces are testing attack drones and several unmanned ground robots in ground-to-ground and air-to-ground roles during Cold Response, and the unit is experimenting with winterized surveillance drones, including American-made Skydio and first-person-view models.
Civilian-military integration is a key feature of Cold Response 2026, with a stronger emphasis on the role of civilians in supporting military operations during wartime. Norway has declared 2026 the year of 'total defence,' integrating civilian infrastructure, public institutions, and private companies into national defence planning. During Cold Response, NATO will test how hospitals and emergency services in northern Norway could handle a surge of casualties transported from a simulated frontline in neighbouring Finland.
Poster Boy said drone systems will be increasingly relevant in a potential conflict with Russia, where the battle space would consist of vast stretches of icy land.
International participation underscores the geopolitical context. Northern Norway and Finland border Russia and are considered strategically vital to NATO's northern defence, according to research sources. Britain is doubling its military presence in Norway due to increased threat from Russia, and Norway and Britain are considering joint purchase of up to 30 boats for coastal ranger commands. The United States is expected to contribute around 4,000 personnel to Cold Response, though U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly argued that the United States should control Greenland to counter potential influence from Russia and China in the Arctic. Greenland is currently an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, and the Danish government and Greenland's authorities have firmly rejected the idea of selling Greenland, insisting it is not for sale, but Denmark is still participating in the NATO drills alongside U.S. forces.
U.S. military adjustments include the withdrawal of one squadron of F-35 Lightning II fighter jets that were initially scheduled to take part in Cold Response, according to research sources. Officials declined to confirm whether the F-35 redeployment was linked to ongoing military commitments elsewhere, including tensions in the Middle East, leaving the exact reason unknown. U.S. forces are frequently reassigned depending on operational priorities.
Exercise logistics have impacted public areas. From March 18, military vehicles can pass through Västerbotten on their way home southward, with the focus during the weekend of March 20-22, officials said. Cold Response has been conducted in Finland, and the public may see military personnel and vehicles on roads and railways during this period in areas where they are not normally present. There will be increased military traffic in Norrbotten, Sweden, as Cold Response concludes, particularly along E4 and road 97, according to major media. Transports can affect traffic flow and local traffic, and the public is urged not to hinder columns, to follow signs and recommendations, not to photograph military vehicles, and to think critically as foreign powers may want to discredit the activity.
Environmental and community impacts include conflicts with reindeer herding. British soldiers established camp in a reindeer herd area despite being informed of no-go zones, disturbing the herd for three days, according to major media. The reindeer herding district has not responded to meeting invitations from the defense since 2019, indicating ongoing tensions.
Medical and training innovations are being influenced by experiences from Ukraine. The Norwegian defense has conducted Live Tissue Training using pigs since 1977, and a NATO report concludes LTT should not be replaced but should be reduced and improved, according to major media. Norwegian instructors have trained thousands of Ukrainian soldiers through Operation Interflex, and these experiences are now influencing Home Guard training. Home Guard soldiers now train minimum five days per year, up from two days previously, but there is a shortage of ammunition for Home Guard training.
Virtual training is enhancing Arctic warfare preparedness. A digital copy of the Finnmark Brigade is being used for training, with 20 people maneuvering 3,500 virtual soldiers, according to major media. This simulation allows for extensive drills without the logistical challenges of field exercises.
Stealth and camouflage technologies are critical for Arctic operations. The snow cave used by elite units, known as a quinzhee, is 1.5m high and 2m wide, built by piling snow and allowing it to sinter, a task force specialty. The name of the game for quinzhee users is silence and invisibility, objectives increasingly hard to achieve as seen in the war in Ukraine, and one way to mitigate risks is tracking avoidance in snow, minimizing a soldier's visual, thermal, or electronic signatures. The Norwegian Defense Materiel Agency announced last month that recent trials in Denmark confirmed the effectiveness of the Swedish-made Mobile Camouflage System.
Broader strategic implications are shaped by climate change and geopolitical shifts. NATO's expanded focus on the Arctic underscores the region's growing strategic importance in global geopolitics, according to research sources. Climate change has accelerated the melting of polar ice, opening new shipping routes and increasing access to the Arctic. This environmental shift, combined with Russia's proximity, drives the military buildup and international cooperation seen in exercises like Cold Response.