Amid Greenland tensions, US forces prep for NATO’s ‘Cold Response 26′

Thousands of U.S. Marines are deploying to Norway this month to begin training for a NATO military exercise as President Donald Trump’s push to control Greenland continues to unsettle European leaders.

The Norwegian-led drills, called Cold Response 26, will test the alliance’s ability to operate in the Arctic .

“This exercise isn’t just about preparing for today’s threats,” Maj. Gen. Daniel L. Shipley, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa, said in a statement. “It’s about building the capabilities and strengthening the capacity necessary to deter future aggression and safeguard our shared interests.”

Around 3,000 Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, will be joined by more than 25,000 personnel from Canada, Denmark , Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, according to the release.

Additional U.S. forces deploying with the Marines include special operations units, a Navy Seabee detachment and a range of Air Force aircraft, such as F-35A Lightning IIs, KC-135 Stratotankers and HH60W Jolly Green IIs.

The commanding general of the 2nd Marine Division said the U.S. presence in these exercises reinforces its longstanding commitment to the alliance.

“This means ensuring every domain is synchronized to support the warfighter on the ground and to provide our NATO partners with the decisive combat power they need, when they need it,” Maj. Gen. Farrell J. Sullivan said. “This exercise is about more than just technology; it’s about forging the habits of discipline and trust that define true combat readiness, and it demonstrates our unwavering commitment to the collective defense of this Alliance.”

Cold Response 26 is set to take place in March.

The drills, meanwhile, will get underway against a backdrop of uncertainty about the future of transatlantic relations.

Trump, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, asserted the United States “won’t use force” to acquire Greenland, but maintained he was seeking “immediate negotiations” on the acquisition of the territory.

Trump emphasized he wants “a piece of ice for world protection, and they won’t give it.”

He added that he would be “very appreciative” if the world agreed to his plan to seize the island. “Or,” the president added, “you can say no and we will remember.”

In a wide-ranging address, Trump also cast doubt on NATO’s commitment to defending the U.S., suggesting there was an imbalance in how the alliance operates.

“The problem with NATO is that we’ll be there for them 100%,” he said. ”But I’m not sure that they’ll be there for us."

NATO Chief Mark Rutte pushed back on Trump’s claim, insisting the alliance would stand by Washington if the U.S. were ever attacked again — just as it did after Sept. 11, 2001.

“You can be assured, absolutely, if ever the U.S. will be under attack, your allies will be with you,” Rutte said.

French President Emmanuel Macron, in a pointed rebuke of Trump’s threats on Greenland, said Europe would not yield to “bullies” or tolerate the erosion of the “rule of law.”

France subsequently called for a NATO military exercise in Greenland, according to a statement from the Élysée.

The declaration comes after several European nations deployed troops to Greenland under Denmark’s Operation Arctic Endurance in what was described as a reconnaissance mission.

Tanya Noury is a reporter for Military Times and Defense News, with coverage focusing on the White House and Pentagon.

本月，数千名美国海军陆战队员将部署到挪威，开始为北约军事演习进行训练。与此同时，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普控制格陵兰岛的举动继续令欧洲领导人感到不安。

由挪威主导的“寒冷反应 26”演习将检验北约在北极地区的行动能力。

“这次演习不仅仅是为了应对当前的威胁，”美国海军陆战队欧洲和非洲司令部司令丹尼尔·L·希普利少将在声明中表示，“它还旨在建设和加强必要的能力，以遏制未来的侵略并维护我们的共同利益。”

根据新闻稿，来自北卡罗来纳州勒琼营的约 3000 名海军陆战队员将与来自加拿大、丹麦、芬兰、法国、德国、意大利、荷兰、西班牙、瑞典和英国的 25000 多名人员会合。

与海军陆战队一同部署的美国其他部队包括特种作战部队、海军海蜂分遣队以及一系列空军飞机，例如 F-35A 闪电 II 战斗机、KC-135 同温层加油机和 HH60W 快乐绿 II 直升机。

美国海军陆战队第二师指挥官表示，美国参与这些演习巩固了其对联盟的长期承诺。

“这意味着要确保各个领域协同运作，为地面作战人员提供支持，并在北约伙伴需要时为其提供所需的决定性作战力量，”法雷尔·J·沙利文少将说。“这次演习不仅仅关乎技术；它更关乎培养纪律和信任的习惯，而这正是真正战备状态的标志。它也展现了我们对联盟集体防御的坚定承诺。”

Cold Response 26 将于 3 月举行。

与此同时，演习将在跨大西洋关系未来充满不确定性的背景下展开。

特朗普周三在达沃斯世界经济论坛上发表讲话时断言，美国“不会使用武力”来获取格陵兰岛，但他坚持认为，他正在寻求就获取该领土进行“立即谈判”。

特朗普强调他想要“一块冰来保护世界，但他们不会给他”。

他还表示，如果世界各国同意他占领该岛的计划，他将“非常感激”。总统补充道：“或者，你们可以拒绝，我们会记住的。”

在一次内容广泛的讲话中，特朗普还对北约保卫美国的承诺表示怀疑，暗示该联盟的运作方式存在不平衡。

他说：“北约的问题在于，我们会百分之百支持他们，但我不太确定他们是否会支持我们。”

北约秘书长马克·吕特反驳了特朗普的说法，坚称如果美国再次遭到攻击，北约将与华盛顿站在一起——就像在 2001 年 9 月 11 日之后所做的那样。

“你们完全可以放心，如果美国遭受攻击，你们的盟友一定会与你们站在一起，”吕特说。

法国总统马克龙尖锐地驳斥了特朗普对格陵兰岛的威胁，称欧洲不会向“恶霸”屈服，也不会容忍“法治”的侵蚀。

据爱丽舍宫发表的声明，法国随后呼吁北约在格陵兰岛举行军事演习。

此前，几个欧洲国家根据丹麦的“北极耐力行动”向格陵兰岛部署了军队，该行动被描述为一次侦察任务。

Tanya Noury 是《军事时报》和《防务新闻》的记者，她的报道主要集中在白宫和五角大楼。