NATO in May 2025 held Formidable Shield, its largest multinational live-fire and integrated air and missile defense exercise of the year, underscoring the Alliance’s commitment to collective defense. Participants from across the Alliance spent all of May engaged in a series of drills to hone integrated combat capabilities across air, land and maritime domains.
“Formidable Shield is one of NATO’s most important deterrence exercises this year, and also Europe’s largest at-sea live-fire exercise in 2025,” Sgt. Jonny Karlsen, spokesperson at the Norwegian Joint Headquarters, told Norwegian news outlet High North News.
The monthlong exercise included two phases taking place in Norway and the United Kingdom and featured live-fire drills, simulated high-threat scenarios and joint operational maneuvers intended to test NATO’s readiness. Among the exercises was a series of air defense drills where advanced radar-guided and missile systems engage simulated enemy targets.
U.S. forces also highlighted capabilities with the U.S. 6th Fleet and elements of the Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) while ushering in the second phase of the exercise. Their role was to demonstrate the efficiency of integrating U.S. naval power with broader NATO capabilities in simulated crises.
“There is simply no substitute for the training and learning that occurs when we operate in these intensely realistic scenarios,” said Capt. Michael Dwan, commander, Task Group 154.64 and STRIKFORNATO’s U.S. Maritime Ballistic Missile Defense Assets advisor.
NATO Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft — a key to modern, networked warfare — deployed to oversee and coordinate both air and missile defense operations, showing the Alliance’s focus on technology-driven situational awareness. Norway hosted an air-defense component designed to test rapid-response interception and target tracking under simulated conditions. These scenarios showcased the integrated approach NATO is adopting to counter multifaceted threats, ensuring that individual member capabilities coalesce into a united defense strategy.
“Operating together is not just a practice. It’s the foundation of our shared security. Exercises like Formidable Shield ensure our forces stay sharp, adaptable and credible,” said Cmdr. Welmer Veenstra, commanding officer of the Dutch frigate HNLMS De Ruyter.
Officials said that the lessons learned during this exercise will translate into enhanced interoperability across NATO’s theaters of operation.
“Formidable Shield is a vital opportunity for NATO AWACS to demonstrate how we connect the battlespace — from the air to the sea. By delivering real-time situational awareness and coordinating Allied airpower, we help ensure the Alliance remains ready and responsive to today’s evolving threats,” Lt. Col. Romaine, detachment commander, NATO AWACS, told Defence Industry Europe.