KOALICJA 26.2: 2,800 Troops Rehearse a Ukraine Force
Britain and France will lead KOALICJA 26.2 from Nov. 9-22, with 2,800 troops from 11 nations rehearsing a postwar force for Ukraine, without U.S. troops.
Featured photo: Allied troops during an exercise in Poland (file photo). Photo: U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Timothy Hamlin, Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
WARSAW — Britain and France will jointly lead KOALICJA 26.2 from Nov. 9 to 22, 2026, bringing 2,800 troops from 11 nations together in Poland, France and Turkey to rehearse a multinational force for Ukraine after the war ends, Military Times reported. American troops will not take part.
What it tests
The exercise is the first major one for the Coalition of the Willing’s military arm, Multinational Force-Ukraine. A British Ministry of Defence statement said the drills will “test how to move, protect and supply” a force that would help rebuild Ukraine’s armed forces once fighting ends.
Missions could include securing critical infrastructure, training Ukraine’s military, helping protect its skies and clearing mines from the Black Sea, the French ministry said, according to Military Times.
Who is in it
Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and Britain are among the participants, the report said.
What to watch
Assessment: The exercise opens as U.S., Russian and Ukrainian negotiators meet in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10-11. Moscow’s reaction to a rehearsal for European troops in Ukraine will be a useful signal.
