Northern Viking 26 forms part of NATO’s broader Arctic Sentry activity and supports the defense of Iceland and the protection of critical national and Alliance infrastructure in the High North. The exercise combines air and maritime capabilities in a realistic operational scenario aimed at strengthening interoperability, readiness and multinational planning.
Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One, or SNMCMG1, is participating under Lithuanian command alongside other Allied maritime and joint forces. Its involvement highlights the role of mine countermeasures in maintaining freedom of movement and protecting critical maritime routes.
SNMCMG1 includes minehunters from Canada, Germany, Lithuania and Poland, supported by a Danish Mine Countermeasures team and a Portuguese Explosive Ordnance Disposal team. The multinational group brings together specialist capabilities while giving participating forces an opportunity to improve interoperability in the demanding waters of the North Atlantic.
Standing NATO Maritime Group One, or SNMG1, is also participating in the exercise as part of NATO’s standing maritime presence in the High North. Operating with Allied navies, SNMG1 and SNMCMG1 will train across surface, subsurface and mine countermeasure operations.
Northern Viking 26 brings together the United States and Iceland with Allied forces from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Lithuania, Germany, Norway and Poland. The exercise integrates air and maritime capabilities to strengthen readiness and improve the ability of participating forces to plan and conduct joint multinational operations.
For SNMCMG1, the exercise provides an opportunity to employ and further develop mine countermeasure capabilities in the North Atlantic and High North. The training also allows Allied forces to build operational experience in a demanding maritime environment.
“Exercises such as Northern Viking demonstrate the value of bringing together Allied mine countermeasures forces with other maritime and joint capabilities,” said Commander SNMCMG1, Lithuanian Navy Commander Donatas Gečas. “By training together in a demanding operational environment, we strengthen interoperability, share operational experience and improve our readiness to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic.”
The exercise also highlights the strategic importance of the North Atlantic and the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom Gap. The waters between Greenland and Iceland, and between Iceland and the United Kingdom, form a critical maritime corridor connecting North America and Europe.
Operating in the region allows Allied forces to build familiarity with local conditions while improving their ability to work together in support of NATO’s collective defense. Integrated multinational training is intended to strengthen readiness across surface, subsurface and mine countermeasure operations.
SNMG1 and SNMCMG1 are two of NATO’s four Standing Naval Forces. They are maintained at high readiness to provide persistent maritime security, assure freedom of navigation and respond rapidly to emerging threats across the Alliance.
