Norwegian, British and US Forces to Conduct Training on Arctic Island

The Norwegian Home Guard provided force protection for the British Royal Air Force and the US Marine Corps during allied activities on Jan Mayen in September 2025.

Kristian Kapelrud

During Operation Atlantic City, the Norwegian Armed Forces will train alongside Allied forces on the Arctic island of Jan Mayen.

Hilde-Gunn Bye Hilde-Gunn Bye Journalist

Published 21 August 2026 - 14:09 Modified 21 August 2026 - 14:31

From August 26 to September 4, the Norwegian Armed Forces will train alongside British and US forces on and around the island of Jan Mayen.

Jan Mayen is Norwegian territory and part of NATO's area of responsibility. The Norwegian Armed Forces emphasise that it is therefore important for both Norwegian and Allied forces to be familiar with the geography, as well as the island's unique and challenging conditions.

The upcoming training has been named Operation Atlantic City, and the name comes from a US military base established at Nordlaguna on Jan Mayen during the Second World War. The base was intended to support meteorological observations and help maintain Allied control in the North Atlantic, the Norwegian Armed Forces writes.

Briefly about Jan Mayen

Jan Mayen lies on the boundary between the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea. The polar island is located approximately 1,000 km west of mainland Norway and 550 km north-east of Iceland.

The island is home to Norway’s only active volcano. It is the world’s northernmost volcano above sea level.

Jan Mayen is not part of the Svalbard Treaty.

Source: Great Norwegian Encyclopedia and the Norwegian Polar Institute.

“By operating alongside our Allies, we demonstrate that we have both the capability and the will to defend Norwegian territory. This includes the Arctic islands, the High North and our territorial waters,” says Vice Admiral Rune Andersen, Commander of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters (NJHQ)

Norwegian participants include personnel from the Royal Norwegian Navy and the Norwegian Home Guard.

Part of NATO activity

The allied training to take place on the Arctic island is part of NATO's Arctic Sentry multi-domain activity.

NATO's enhanced Vigilance Activity for the High North, Arctic Sentry, was launched in February 2026 and aims to strengthen the Alliance's posture and presence in the Arctic region.

Arctic Sentry is led by Joint Force Command Norfolk and is to coordinate Allies' increasing activities in the region and has a.o. included the Norwegian-led Cold Response military exercise earlier this year, as well as the ongoing training associated with Denmark's Arctic Endurance in Greenland.

The training on Jan Mayen aims to strengthen NATO's ability to operate jointly under challenging Arctic conditions, the Norwegian Armed Forces write.

"Isolated, but strategically important"

In September 2025, the Norwegian Armed Forces and Allies conducted similar training on and around Jan Mayen.

Participants from the Norwegian Armed Forces included the Norwegian Home Guard, while other Allied forces included the US Marine Corps and the British Royal Air Force.

"The volcanic island of Jan Mayen is isolated, but strategically located in the Norwegian Sea, and is not part of the Svalbard Treaty. Together with the mainland, Svalbard and the ocean areas in the north, the island forms part of Norway that must be ready to be defended," stated the Commander of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters (NJHQ) in connection with the training in 2025.