Exercise Formidable Shield 25 underway off Norway and Scotland
By NATO Allied Maritime Command
From May 1 to 31, 2025, NATO’s multinational live-fire integrated air and missile defence (IAMD) exercise, Formidable Shield 25, will be executed from Norway and the United Kingdom (UK).
Formidable Shield is the largest live-fire naval exercise in Europe. The IAMD exercise focusses on maritime operational and tactical interoperability between participating Allies. The scenarios include a series of complex Ballistic Missile Defence and Air Defence missions in an equally complex operating environment.
Nine Allied nations will participate in the naval led multi-domain exercise. Participants include Belgium, Canada (HMCS Montréal), Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, the UK and the United States. The land and air domains will also support; air asset participation includes Norwegian F-35s and Eurofighters from the UK. Norway, the UK and the United States will also participate with Maritime Patrol Aircraft.
The first phase of the exercise will take place at the Andøya firing range in Norway before continuing at the Hebrides Range in Scotland, United Kingdom. Aircraft from the NATO Airborne Warning and Control System were forward deployed to Ørland in Norway to provide command and control capabilities.
Formidable Shield 25 is Europe’s largest live-fire naval exercise, U.S. Navy’s Sixth Fleet will lead the exercise, with Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) executing live-fire and IAMD activities. The exercise, focused on IAMD, will utilize NATO command and control systems.
Participants will share tactical data, engage in NATO-level planning, and practice coordinated responses to complex scenarios, further enhancing integration and interoperability between Allies and the warfighting domains.
