Always Ready: V Corps proves global response capability and lethality

VUOSANKA, Finland – U.S. Army Soldiers from Charlie Company, 4th Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment (4-70th AR), 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division participated in a multinational, force-on-force exercise alongside Allied forces as part of Saber Strike 26, from May 18-21, 2026, in Vuosanka Training Area, Finland.

As part of the larger Sword 26 exercise across the European theater, Saber Strike 26 is intended to build partnerships, strengthen alliances, and enhance capabilities to support the Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative (EFDI).

Polish, Italian, and Hungarian paratroopers united with U.S. Soldiers to form a multinational battalion to fight against an opposing force from the British Army’s B Company Group, 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment. While planning for the exercise has been taking place for nearly a year, the U.S. Army company was brought into the planning just over a month before operations began. The multinational battalion was quickly tasked to integrate, organize their forces, and start developing plans to best the British. Using liaison officers to translate across language barriers, information was shared accurately and effectively.

Commanders from the four nations began to devise a plan. Considering the courses of action and tactics that their adversary would implement. The leaders gathered to conduct a multinational combined arms rehearsal. A deliberate walk-through of every task and action, step-by-step. This ensured that all understood the plan and the goal of the mission. Building trust in each other and creating a sense of confidence from the start.

For U.S. Army Maj. Matthew Graham, operations officer with 4-70th AR and the multinational battalion, the exercise was as much about learning as it was about executing. “One of the key things we look at is – how do we increase NATO interoperability?” he asked. “Getting to see how [our partner forces] work together and fight together has been really exciting.”

The multinational battalion performed numerous air movements throughout the training area. This required coordination of flights and airspace to get the entire battalion relocated in a tactical manner to establish security and continue their assault towards the opposing forces' position.

The battalion utilized dismounted patrols and aerial drones for reconnaissance, providing a bird ’s-eye view of the battlespace ahead of them. The Polish and Italian forces brought mortars that, in coordination with targets planned by U.S. forces, were an effective measure against the British force. When met with enemy contact, communication was effectively passed through the nation commanders, developing a common operating picture for all. Leaders throughout the battalion were decisive and deliberate in their plans and actions, reinforced through the resilience of their soldiers.

When one last British defense remained, the battalion planned and executed a hasty air assault to push back the opposing forces. Met with aggressive enemy contact at the landing zone, the multinational battalion worked quickly to eliminate layers of defense and send forces forward to successfully capture the British position.

“While today we are opponents, what this should generate is a mutual respect, mutual understanding, and mutual regard for one another,” the commanding officer of B Company Group, 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, and the opposing force in this scenario, British Army Maj. Louis Maclaren, shared. “When we serve together on the battlefield, it’s that mutual understanding and mutual respect which should bind us together and allow us to fight together.”

The significance of Saber Strike 26 extends well beyond the training that occurred here. In an era of persistent change and evolution in warfare, the ability to rapidly deploy and integrate forces is a deterrent from the start. Effective cooperation, training, and familiarization with our partners is a lethal advantage. Exercises like this don’t just prepare Allied forces to respond to a conflict; they help ensure one never comes.