NATO Forces Launch Major Multinational Exercise Series

U.S. and Allied forces will conduct a series of exercises across the High North, Baltic region, and Poland from late April through May 2026. Known as Sword 26, this U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF)-led multinational exercise series will focus on operationalizing NATO's Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative (EFDI).

Formerly known as DEFENDER, the exercise was renamed Sword 26 to reflect a shift in focus — from deploying forces from the United States to Europe, to employing in-theater forces to validate NATO's regional plans and advance the EFDI. The change reflects the U.S. Army's emphasis on warfighting, modernization, and readiness.

"Sword 26 tests our lethality and ability to harness data and AI-enabled warfare at scale to operate with NATO Allies. It's the application of Army Transformation to fight NATO's regional plans across all domains in the High North, Baltic region, and Poland," said Gen. Christopher Donahue, commanding general, U.S. Army Europe and Africa.

Sword 26 will test advanced technologies including AI-enabled command and control, multi-domain operations, and counter-drone systems. The exercise incorporates three linked exercises — Saber Strike, Immediate Response and Swift Response.

NATO's Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative leverages unmanned and minimally manned systems, backed by an integrated mission command network using live data to accelerate decision-making and offset adversary advantages in mass and momentum.

The exercise involves U.S. and NATO forces operating from distributed locations across the High North, Baltic region, and Poland, underscoring USAREUR-AF's role in transformation and readiness.