politics
NATO’s Largest Air Exercise Ever is Now Underway
NATO's air exercise Ramstein Flag 2026 is one of the largest Allied exercises taking place in the High North this year. In Bodø, Northern Norway, the Combined Air Operations Centre commands air operations during the exercise, which is expected to generate more than 150 sorties per day.
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This week, NATO's major air exercise Ramstein Flag 2026 began, bringing together 18 Allied nations and more than 200 aircraft.
This year's Ramstein Flag is NATO's largest air exercise ever and one of the largest Allied exercises being carried out in the Nordic region and the High North this year.
"The exercise shows NATO's commitment to the High North and the Arctic through its presence and focus," spokesperson Christian Stenshagen in the Royal Norwegian Air Force tells HNN.
Activity in the High North
During the exercise, Allies will train on operating together over long distances, from the northern parts of Norway to Spain in southern Europe, the Norwegian Armed Forces writes in a press release.
The northern part of the exercise is being conducted in airspace and at bases in the Nordic host countries Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.
An important part concerns joint training between Allied forces and practising the concept Agile Combat Employment (ACE).
This means that aircraft and personnel operate from several different bases and locations in Europe to make the forces less vulnerable.
Moreover, Allies will jointly plan and carry out advanced operations, generating upwards of 150 sorties each day from more than 20 operational locations.
The aircraft include fighter jets, enablers such as air-to-air refuelling, surveillance aircraft and NATO capabilities such as the airborne radar platform AWACS and the RQ-4D Phoenix surveillance drone.
Directed from Bodø
The coordination of the activities is led by NATO’s third Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) in Bodø, Northern Norway.
"During the exercise, CAOC Bodø commands and controls all ongoing flights and is involved in planning, execution and the follow-up work. This happens in cycles every single day," Stenshagen explains.
He says around 200 NATO staff from 18 different countries are in Bodø to take part in the exercise.
"The tasks may, for example, involve communicating with the pilots while they are in the air, directing them to where they need to go and selecting targets during the exercise phase."
A milestone
CAOC Bodø was established in 2025 and played a central role in the air operations during this winter’s major Norwegian-led military exercise Cold Response, which became the first major exercise as a fully fledged NATO headquarters.
During Ramstein Flag 2026, the air operations centre is taking new steps.
"This is the first NATO-led exercise in which CAOC Bodø is carrying out the responsibility it is to have on a permanent basis, and tests the centre's ability to do so within NATO's command structure," says Stenshagen.
The chain of command involves reporting activities and results onwards to Allied Air Command in Ramstein, Germany, which in turn reports to NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).
The Nordic air power
The overall goal of Ramstein Flag is to train Nato's ability for collective defence and to respond quickly to an Article 5 situation.
"The exercise demonstrates the air forces' capacity for rapid response as part of NATO's collective defence in an Article 5 scenario. We operate as one air force in the northern parts of the Nordic region and, together with our allies, strengthen Nato's collective capabilities in a strategically important area," the Chief of the Swedish Air Force, Major General Jonas Wikman, states in a press release.
Stenshagen is also clear about the importance of Ramstein Flag for the Nordic air forces, which have become even more integrated after Sweden and Finland joined NATO.
"This is a good and important opportunity for the Nordic countries to work together across borders to demonstrate and practise what a Nordic air power can be," he concludes.
