Photo By Tech. Sgt. Benjamin Sutton | A U.S. Air Force MC-130J Commando II from the 352d Special Operations Wing is prepped...... read more read more
Subscribe
Akureyri, Iceland – Air Commandos from the 352d Special Operations Wing are participating in Exercise Northern Viking 2026, a premier multinational training event designed to bolster defense capabilities in the strategically vital High North.
Operating alongside NATO and joint U.S. forces, the 352 SOW is utilizing the exercise to sharpen tactical readiness, test long-range force employment concepts, and ensure seamless air-domain interoperability in austere Arctic environments.
“Our objectives are the same as NATO objectives: to increase interoperability with our Allies and partners and to deter and defend against potential adversaries in the High North,” said the 352 SOW mission commander. “We are specifically exploring opportunities to employ emerging SOF-peculiar technologies, enabling long-range logistical sustainment of the Allied and Joint Force. Basically, we’ll be employing non-standard airdrop platforms to deliver logistical and medical supplies to far-forward troops.”
The training comes at a critical time as coalition forces continue to reinforce collective security and deterrence protocols across the European theater.
“This exercise gives us a unique opportunity to practice like we expect to play, where we expect to play, and alongside the partners we will play with,” continued the 352 SOW mission commander. “Simply by being here in Iceland and working with our Allies, we are strengthening the relationships across the Alliance and identifying key areas where we can improve our ability to project U.S. and Allied combat power.”
Integrating air and maritime components to conduct joint military operations allows the 352 SOW to partner with other U.S. military services and showcase enhanced training and coordination.
“We specifically want to train in long-range resupply in contested environments and intend to airdrop a powered glider to a detachment of fellow U.S. servicemembers,” continued the 352 SOW mission commander. “This glider will be filled with supplies and airdropped to the servicemembers on the ground validating our capability to deliver critical supplies to SOF teams operating far beyond friendly supply lines.”
The tactics and techniques developed at Exercise Northern Viking will be codified as another important tool in the 352 SOW’s toolkit for supporting a wide variety of SOF-peculiar missions across the U.S. European Command theater of operations.
“We want to express our gratitude and deepest thanks to the government and people of Iceland, and the city of Akureyri in particular,” said the 352 SOW mission commander. “Everyone has been extremely welcoming and supportive of our presence here and it’s been a thrill of a lifetime to be a guest and perform operations across their beautiful country.”
| Date Taken: | 08.23.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 08.25.2026 11:58 |
| Story ID: | 573172 |
| Location: | IS |
| Web Views: | 20 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 352d SOW Sharpens High North Readiness at Northern Viking '26, by TSgt Benjamin Sutton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
