The exercise is being conducted across multiple training locations throughout the European theater and includes forces from Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland and Romania. U.S. officials said the drills are intended to demonstrate collective readiness and improve the ability of multinational special operations forces to operate rapidly in complex operational environments.
Trojan Footprint 2026 integrates personnel from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Space Force alongside allied special operations units. According to the command, the exercise is designed to strengthen interoperability, reinforce regional security cooperation and enhance joint operational capabilities.
Richard Angle, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command Europe and NATO Special Operations Command, said, “We operate alongside incredibly capable special operations forces across every domain, creating a vital exchange of region-specific tactics, techniques, and procedures.”
“This exercise ensures that through shared expertise and applied lessons learned, every participating nation emerges stronger, more agile, and completely unified in our collective defense,” Angle added.
The command said this year’s exercise will also focus on refining tactics, testing advanced technologies and developing new operational concepts for modern warfare. Officials stated that the event is intended to ensure U.S. and allied special operations forces remain prepared to respond to evolving security challenges with greater speed, coordination and precision.
Trojan Footprint was first established in 2016 and has since developed into the largest special operations forces-led exercise in Europe. The exercise forms part of a broader Large-Scale Global Exercise framework intended to maintain multinational readiness and credible deterrence capabilities.
According to U.S. Special Operations Command Europe, the drills are designed to posture resilient and interoperable forces capable of deterring aggression and supporting regional stability. The command added that the exercise highlights the strategic value of multinational partnerships in defending shared security interests across the alliance.
