UK, France Lead Exercise Koalicja in Poland
The multinational wargame, involving 11 nations, prepares NATO forces for possible security guarantees for Ukraine after the war.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Military
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Exercise Koalicja, a multinational wargame jointly led by the United Kingdom and France, will take place in Poland from November 9 to 22, 2026, involving 2,800 military personnel from 11 nations. It is the first major exercise conducted by the Multinational Force Ukraine and simulates the movement of troops and supplies.
Why it matters
The exercise is designed to prepare NATO forces to provide Ukraine with security guarantees once the war is over. It follows the Coalition of the Willing, a 34-country peacekeeping force led by the UK, France and Germany and announced in March 2025.
Some 300 UK troops and RAF Typhoon jets and a Voyager refuelling aircraft will join the exercise, which runs from November 9 to 22, 2026. Participating nations include Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the UK, while the full scope of planned activities beyond these figures has not been detailed.
The players
Multinational Force Ukraine
A multinational military force established to support Ukraine's security after the war, whose first major exercise is Koalicja.
Coalition of the Willing
A peacekeeping coalition of 34 countries led by the United Kingdom, France and Germany, announced in March 2025 to support Ukraine's future security.
The details
Soldiers from the Army's 7 Brigade will rehearse logistical movements, while Turkish forces in Istanbul will practise maritime mine clearance. RAF jets will simulate reassuring commercial aviation once Ukrainian airspace reopens. The exercise was agreed at a Coalition of the Willing summit in July 2026.
Timeline
July 2026: Coalition of the Willing summit agrees to hold the exercise.
November 9 to 22, 2026: Exercise Koalicja takes place in Poland.
Market Landscape
Exercise Koalicja is the first major operational test for the Multinational Force Ukraine, which was built under the Coalition of the Willing announced in March 2025. It moves that peacekeeping framework from planning toward rehearsed logistics and air and maritime coordination across NATO and partner states.
The exercise will take place in Poland over two weeks in November 2026, and its scale of 2,800 personnel shows the coordination needed for future Ukraine security commitments. Readers following NATO deployments should expect rehearsed troop, supply and air movements rather than direct changes to civilian travel in the region.
The takeaway
Exercises like Koalicja show that planning for post-war security in Ukraine is moving from political commitments to rehearsed military logistics. Watching how the 11 participating nations coordinate will indicate how ready the Multinational Force Ukraine is to act when fighting ends.
What happens next
Exercise Koalicja runs from November 9 to 22, 2026, in Poland.
Further reading
Explore more on the Military section for context on NATO and multinational defence planning.
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