Nations withdraw some equipment from NATO Arctic exercise amid Iran fallout

HAMNVIK, Norway — Several countries slated to participate in NATO’s largest Arctic warfare exercise have withdrawn their military hardware, including warships and fighter jets, amid growing concerns over the widening conflict with Iran.

A number of American, Italian, and French military capabilities were expected to be part of NATO’s Cold Response 2026 exercise, taking place from March 9-19 across Norway.

Among them was the Italian Navy destroyer Andrea Doria, which was nowhere to be seen on March 11 during a NATO press tour organized here.

During a visit to the amphibious ship San Giusto, which made the five-week journey to northern Norway, Italian personnel on board told Defense News that the Andrea Doria had departed a few days earlier. It is currently making its way back to Southern Italy in case it is needed there amid the Iran war fallout.

Fears about the conflict widening emerged after a British military base in Cyprus was targeted in an Iranian drone attack in the first days of the war, started by the United States and Israel on Feb. 28.

Also absent here was a squadron of U.S. F-35B Joint Strike Fighters from the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, which was scheduled to participate in Cold Response.

Citing operational security concerns, a spokesman for U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa said he could not confirm whether the squadron had been redirected for potential deployment to the Middle East.

The Norwegian Military stated that they were informed of the decision weeks ago, adding that the scheduled training objectives would not be affected.

U.S. Air Force F-35s and around 4,000 Marines are still partaking in the exercise.

In January the French Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group began its deployment to the North Atlantic, expected to participate in the France-led activity Orion 26 and Cold Response.

However, on March 3, French President Emmanuel Macron changed course and announced that the carrier would be sent instead to the Eastern Mediterranean. The group of warships has since arrived near Cyprus.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

挪威哈姆尼克——由于对与伊朗冲突不断扩大的担忧日益加剧，几个原计划参加北约最大规模北极战争演习的国家撤回了包括军舰和战斗机在内的军事装备。

预计美国、意大利和法国的一些军事力量将参与北约于 3 月 9 日至 19 日在挪威举行的“寒冷反应 2026”演习。

其中包括意大利海军驱逐舰安德烈亚·多利亚号，该舰在 3 月 11 日北约在此组织的媒体参观活动中不见踪影。

在参观了历时五周抵达挪威北部的两栖舰“圣朱斯托”号期间，舰上的意大利人员告诉《防务新闻》，“安德烈亚·多利亚”号几天前已经启程。目前，“安德烈亚·多利亚”号正在返回意大利南部的途中，以备在伊朗战争余波中需要时支援当地。

在战争爆发的最初几天，伊朗无人机袭击了英国在塞浦路斯的军事基地，引发了人们对冲突扩大的担忧。这场战争由美国和以色列于 2 月 28 日发动。

此外，原计划参加“寒冷反应”演习的美国海军陆战队第二航空联队的一个 F-35B 联合攻击战斗机中队也没有参加。

出于作战安全考虑，美国海军陆战队欧洲和非洲部队的一位发言人表示，他无法确认该中队是否已被重新调派至中东地区部署。

挪威军方表示，他们几周前就已获悉这一决定，并补充说，既定的训练目标不会受到影响。

美国空军的F-35战机和大约4000名海军陆战队员仍在参加演习。

1 月，法国“戴高乐”号航母打击群开始部署到北大西洋，预计将参加由法国领导的“猎户座 26”和“寒冷反应”行动。

然而，3月3日，法国总统马克龙改变了计划，宣布将这艘航母派往东地中海。此后，这支军舰编队已抵达塞浦路斯附近海域。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。