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BAUMHOLDER, Germany – In the icy clutch of the Arctic, service members with U.S. Special Operations Command Europe joined 25,000 service members from 12 nations, demonstrating their unwavering resolve during Exercise Cold Response 26 in Norway and Finland, March 9-20, 2026.
Cold Response, referred to as CORE, is a recurring Norwegian-led exercise designed to improve the abilities of NATO and partner forces to operate in harsh Arctic conditions while strengthening collective defense and deterrence in the High North.
This year’s iteration of CORE brought together air, land, maritime, space, cyber and special operations forces from nations including Canada, Denmark, France, the U.K. and the U.S. to practice large-scale, joint and combined operations in a cold-weather environment.
For the special operations forces involved, CORE included vehicle and foot maneuvers, tactical movements on skis, aircraft personnel recovery, extended field care, establishing a forward operating base and maintaining survivability in an Arctic environment.
Among the participating U.S. units was a Special Forces team, or Operational Detachment-Alpha, with 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group. Green Berets with the ODA trained with Nordic partners on advanced tactics, techniques and procedures tailored to Arctic terrain and weather, with a focus on interoperability and rapid response to crisis.
Similarly, Green Berets with 2nd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group performed deep strike training and targeting with Finland’s Utti Jaeger Regiment, Finnish Border Guard Special Intervention Units and other designated partners from Finland, Sweden and Norway. Deep strike missions involve a unit moving over vast distances while remaining undetected by drones, civilians or enemy personnel, and then striking a target, typically with an unmanned aerial system.
In addition to valuable training in targeting, intelligence and fire integration, one major desired outcome was enhanced joint readiness between the Utti Jaeger Regiment and U.S. Special Operations Forces. They also worked together to identify sustainment and personnel recovery requirements and bolster capabilities in covert operations.
“Our forces leveraged their deep understanding of arctic conditions to gain tactical advantages, turning what could have been a liability into a strength,” said a U.S. Air Force special tactics team leader. “The cohesion and trust between our forces allowed us to execute complex missions with precision and reinforce that when NATO forces work together, we are far more capable no matter the environment."
Norway’s Total Defense Concept, which emphasizes close cooperation between military forces, civilian authorities and neighboring nations, underpinned the exercise design. U.S. participation was a key part of supporting this concept. Norwegian armed forces and allied units conducted complex maneuvers intended to demonstrate NATO’s ability to reinforce the region and defend allied territory if required.
CORE is a visible demonstration of NATO’s commitment to security in the Arctic and the broader rules-based international order.
By building interoperability in the planet’s most demanding conditions, exercises like CORE ensure that NATO’s conventional and special operations forces are prepared for any contingency in the High North.
| Date Taken: | 04.21.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 04.22.2026 10:53 |
| Story ID: | 563327 |
| Location: | BAUMHOLDER, RHEINLAND-PFALZ, DE |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, US SOF and allies train for arctic warfare, by CPT Christopher Booker, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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