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Exercise Koalicja: 11 Nations Rehearse a Postwar Force for Ukraine

Exercise Koalicja puts 2,800 troops from 11 nations in Poland from Nov. 9 to 22 to rehearse a postwar Ukraine force. Our table shows each country’s role.

ByPeter
Polish army BWP-1 infantry fighting vehicle moving across a training area during an exercise
A Polish army BWP-1 infantry fighting vehicle with the 15th Mechanized Brigade moves to secure an area during Saber Strike 18 with Battle Group Poland at Bemowo Piskie Training Area, Poland, 2018. Photo: U.S. Army / Spc. Hubert Delany, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

WARSAW, Nov. 4, 2026 — Eleven European nations will rehearse how to send a postwar force into Ukraine during Exercise Koalicja 26.2, which runs in Poland from Nov. 9 to Nov. 22. About 2,800 personnel will take part on land, in the air and at sea, Britain’s Ministry of Defence announced on Tuesday. It is the first major exercise run by the Multinational Force Ukraine (MNF-U), the military arm of the Coalition of the Willing, and it is jointly led by the United Kingdom and France.

The drill is not a deployment. The force would move into Ukraine only after the fighting stops and at the request of Ukraine’s government, and it would not carry out peacekeeping or ceasefire monitoring, the ministry said. “This isn’t a hypothetical plan, it’s a real force, ready to help Ukraine once the fighting stops,” said Defence Secretary Wes Streeting.

What the exercise will test

Koalicja is a logistics rehearsal first. Troops will practice moving, protecting, supplying and integrating a multinational force that could help rebuild Ukraine’s armed forces. Commanders will test command-and-control arrangements, and the force will be directed from its operational headquarters in Paris, led by a British three-star general with a French one-star deputy, according to Poland’s Ministry of National Defence. The Polish ministry said the exercise also includes a space element alongside the land, air and sea forces.

Two parts of the plan look past the battlefield. RAF Typhoons will simulate how fighter patrols could reassure commercial airlines once Ukraine’s airspace reopens. At sea, Turkish forces will stand up the force’s maritime element in Istanbul and plan mine clearance so merchant ships can return to Ukraine’s ports.

| Country | Known role in Koalicja 26.2 | |—|—| | United Kingdom | Co-lead; 300 personnel, including 7 Brigade (the “Desert Rats”), RAF Typhoons and a Voyager tanker; provides MNF-U commander Lt. Gen. Tom Bateman | | France | Co-lead; hosts the MNF-U operational headquarters in Paris and supplies its deputy commander | | Poland | Host nation and coalition logistics lead; nearly 2,000 Polish soldiers take part, but Poland would not send troops into Ukraine | | Türkiye | Leads the maritime element from Istanbul, focused on mine clearance | | Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden | Participants; contributions not itemized in official releases |

Sources: UK Ministry of Defence and Polish Ministry of National Defence, Nov. 3, 2026.

How the force came together

The Coalition of the Willing was founded in March 2025 at the initiative of the UK and France and now has 35 member nations, according to a UK guidance page on the force. The MNF-U was formally set up in January 2026 when the leaders of the UK, France and Ukraine signed a declaration of intent, and Poland’s ministry cites the Paris Declaration of Jan. 6, 2026, as the basis for its use. So far, 24 nations have made military commitments to the force. Its headquarters is due to rotate from Paris to the UK before the end of 2026.

The UK says the force’s main job would be to regenerate Ukraine’s military so it can deter, and if needed defend against, a future Russian attack. Poland’s ministry adds that logistics, equipment and training experts would be sent to help rebuild Ukraine’s forces and restock key equipment.

The United States is not part of the force. U.S. officials have taken part in discussions but are not contributing to the mission, the BBC reported. Washington’s role so far has been money and diplomacy: the Congressional Research Service says the United States committed more than $68.2 billion in defense articles and services to Ukraine from February 2022 through June 2026, while European and other partners committed about $130 billion through March 2026.

Timeline

  • March 2025: The UK and France launch the Coalition of the Willing.
  • Jan. 6, 2026: The Paris Declaration sets the terms for a future force; the MNF-U is formally established that month.
  • Nov. 3, 2026: London and Warsaw announce Exercise Koalicja.
  • Nov. 9, 2026: The exercise opens.
  • Nov. 10–11, 2026: U.S., Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are due to meet in Abu Dhabi, according to U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
  • Nov. 22, 2026: The exercise ends.
  • By end of 2026: The MNF-U headquarters moves to the UK.

Analysis: why it matters

The timing gives the exercise a diplomatic edge. Witkoff said the Abu Dhabi talks “will focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts, and next steps toward peace,” according to Just Security’s summary of an Axios report. A coalition that can show a working headquarters, air patrols and a mine-clearance plan in the same week gives Kyiv something concrete to bring to talks about guarantees.

The limits are just as visible. The exercise headcount is not a plan for the real force, but it hints at the scale problem: the BBC noted that military experts have suggested Western nations might need tens of thousands of troops to guarantee Ukraine’s security. Officials could not describe the final shape of a deployed force or its rules of engagement if attacked. Russia has rejected the idea outright: Vladimir Putin said last year that foreign troops in Ukraine would be “legitimate targets,” the BBC reported.

The exercise also shows a division of labor. Poland will host and supply the force but stay out of Ukraine, Türkiye takes the Black Sea mission, and the UK and France carry command. Watch whether the other seven participants itemize what they would send, and whether Abu Dhabi produces any agreement that would let the force move from rehearsal to plan.

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