Canada Wraps Largest-Ever Arctic Winter Military Operation with Expanded Northern Presence

Canada has concluded Operation NANOOK-NUNALIVUT 2026, marking the largest and most comprehensive winter Arctic operation ever conducted under the broader Operation NANOOK framework. Running from February to April, the exercise highlighted the Canadian Armed Forces’ growing focus on northern readiness as international attention on the Arctic continues to intensify.

Approximately 1,300 Canadian Armed Forces members took part in the mission, supported by nearly 200 vehicles and pieces of equipment, including two M777 howitzers. Operations spanned Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba, combining land, air, and joint activities across some of the country’s most remote and demanding terrain.

The 2026 edition also featured military participation from Belgium, Denmark, France, and the United States, reinforcing allied coordination in a region of increasing strategic importance.

Among the most notable achievements was a long-range patrol covering more than 5,000 kilometres from Inuvik, Northwest Territories, to Churchill, Manitoba. Personnel also carried out complex logistics movements and equipment trials in austere winter conditions, demonstrating Canada’s ability to deploy and sustain combat-capable forces across vast Arctic distances.

“Operation NANOOK-NUNALIVUT 2026 demonstrated the Canadian Armed Forces’ ability to project, sustain, and command combat-capable forces across vast distances in some of the world’s most demanding operating environments. Through this operation, our personnel operated seamlessly with allies, partners, and Northern communities to strengthen Canada’s Arctic defence posture and reinforce our capacity to detect, deter, and respond to threats in the North,” stated Lieutenant-General Steve Boivin, Commander Canadian Joint Operations Command.

The operation was conducted in close collaboration with Indigenous governments and communities, alongside territorial, municipal, and federal partners. Canadian Armed Forces officials said engagement with Northern communities helped ensure operations respected local knowledge and priorities while strengthening relationships essential to long-term presence and awareness in the region.

Operation NANOOK-NUNALIVUT 2026 was also aligned with Canada’s support to NATO’s enhanced Vigilance Activity ARCTIC SENTRY, an initiative designed to coordinate Arctic operations, exercises, and activities with allied nations under a single operational approach.

That broader strategy aims to strengthen collective defence, reinforce deterrence, and improve shared awareness across the Arctic and High North.

“Operation NANOOK-NUNALIVUT 2026 demonstrated our ability to project, sustain, and command combat-capable forces in the most demanding Arctic conditions. I visited several locations and conducted engagements with local leaders. The professionalism of our personnel, the strength of our partnerships with northern communities, and our seamless integration with allies underscore the Canadian Armed Forces’ unwavering commitment to a permanent defence presence in the North,” said Brigadier-General Daniel Rivière, Commander Joint Task Force North.

With its largest Arctic winter operation now complete, Canada has signalled its continued intention to maintain a permanent and credible defence presence in the North while deepening cooperation with allies and Northern partners.