US, NATO allies to hold weeks-long drills in High North, Baltic region

BERLIN

The US and its NATO allies will conduct a series of military exercises across the High North, Baltic region and Poland starting this month to strengthen the alliance’s deterrence posture in the region, US Army Europe and Africa announced Thursday.

“Sword 26 tests our lethality and ability to harness data and AI-enabled warfare at scale to operate with NATO allies,” Gen. Christopher Donahue, commanding general of US Army Europe and Africa, said in a statement, adding that it will highlight their continued commitment to collective defense and security.

The exercises, running from late April through May 2026, will take place in eight European countries, including Germany, Poland, Finland, Estonia and Lithuania. Approximately 6,000 US troops and 9,500 allied forces will participate, deploying more than 1,000 pieces of military equipment ranging from drones to Patriot missile systems.

During the drills, forces will test advanced technologies, including AI-enabled command and control, multi-domain operations and counter-drone systems.

Sword 26 was previously known as DEFENDER, an acronym for Dynamic Employment of Forces to Europe for NATO Deterrence and Enhanced Readiness. Officials said the exercise was renamed to reflect a strategic shift away from large-scale deployments from the US to Europe and toward employing in-theater forces. The goal is to validate NATO’s regional defense plans and advance the alliance’s Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative, the statement said.