Belgium, Denmark, France, Iceland, Norway, Poland and the United States are participating in the biennial exercise. Specialized personnel and assets assigned to Allied Maritime Command and NATO Joint Force Command Norfolk are also taking part.
Northern Viking 2026 marks the 75th anniversary of the 1951 bilateral defense agreement between Iceland and the United States. That agreement established a security framework under which the United States became responsible for Iceland’s defense because the country does not maintain a standing military.
“Our defense cooperation with the United States has thrived for 75 years because it has never stood still; it has developed to meet [the] evolving challenges of our time,” Icelandic Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir said at the opening ceremony. “The best way to celebrate this anniversary is not merely by commemorating our partnership, but by actually practicing it — together and alongside our allies.”
The exercise will include antisubmarine warfare, mine countermeasures and expeditionary construction. Forces will also train in search and rescue, humanitarian medical response and disaster response.
A major focus will be the defense of Iceland and protection of sea lines of communication between Greenland, Iceland and the United Kingdom. The U.S. Department of War described the area as a major shipping corridor connecting North America and Europe.
“Northern Viking 2026 is a demonstration of our commitment to the collective defense of the North Atlantic,” said U.S. Navy Vice Adm. J. T. Anderson, commander of U.S. 6th Fleet. “Together with our allies, we continue to create an environment that allows interoperability among NATO maritime forces so that European allies can take over primary responsibility for deterrence and defense in the European theater.”
Northern Viking will also test joint and coalition command structures responsible for coordinating forces across multiple domains. The exercise is intended to improve interoperability between U.S., Icelandic and other allied forces operating in the North Atlantic.
“Together, we’re honing our warfighting skills and ensuring our ability to secure this critical region and to project decisive combat power wherever and whenever necessary,” said Air Force Gen Alexus G. Grynkewich, NATO supreme allied commander Europe and commander of U.S. European Command. “Throughout this exercise, and others, we will leverage the power of data in [artificial intelligence] enabled decision support tools, will integrate data streams in real time and ensure our command and control structures can make decisions at the speed of future conflict.”
The U.S.-Iceland defense relationship has evolved from Cold War deterrence toward multidomain operations involving a broader group of NATO forces. Northern Viking 2026 will use that framework to rehearse the defense of Iceland and the maritime links connecting North America with Europe.
