Your Excellency,

‍

We have the honour of inviting you to visit the City of Narvik, Norway, in connection with the Exercise Cold Response 2026, the major NATO winter exercise scheduled for March next year. The exercise will bring together approximately 15,000 soldiers from multiple allied nations, with coordinated activities on land, at sea, and in the air. Its primary objective is to train the reinforcement of NATO’s northern region.

‍

Narvik plays a central and growing role in NATO’s reinforcement plans. The Port of Narvik is designated as one of the main ports of entry for Allied forces and equipment. The Ofoten Line, running from Narvik through Sweden to the Finnish border, forms the key transport corridor linking Norway in the west, Sweden in the center, and Finland in the east. Together, the port and the rail line form one of the Alliance’s most important logistics arteries in the High North.

‍

Reception, staging, and onward movement of Allied forces through the Port of Narvik will begin on 2nd of March, followed by the live exercise period from the 9th to the 19th of March 2026. This will include a major mass-casualty evacuation drill on the 12th, during which simulated patients from Finland will be transported by train to Narvik.

‍

It would be a great honour for us to welcome you to Narvik during the exercise. We would be pleased to show you the Port of Narvik and, if the time allows it, to accompany you on a tour of the Ofoten Line, demonstrating the route through which Allied reinforcements would be transported in a real-world contingency.

‍

The best use of our armed forces is in a deterrent role: to be present, ready, and strong enough that any adversary thinks twice before acting. This requires not only capable and agile forces, but also a well-functioning reinforcement system, solid planning, and robust infrastructure. Narvik is proud to contribute to this collective NATO effort, and we would be delighted to share this with you first-hand.

‍

We sincerely hope that your schedule will allow you to visit us in March 2026.

‍

Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of our highest consideration.