Quadriga 2026

The ongoing war in Ukraine shows that Russia still poses the greatest threat to peace and security in Europe for the foreseeable future. The Bundeswehr’s focus is therefore on national and collective defence – providing comprehensive protection of the German population in peacetime, crisis and war and being a reliable partner for the Allied forces in NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization. Through national and multinational exercises, NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization nations demonstrate their capability and willingness to defend Alliance territory. The Bundeswehr’s Quadriga exercise cluster also helps with this.

In 2026, Quadriga will be conducted as an operation under realistic conditions, no longer as a series of simple exercises. That is to say, the exercise conditions will be as close as possible to those of an emergency – without long lead times or fictitious parameters. Quadriga 2026 will therefore make a visible and credible contribution to deterring potential aggressors. Quadriga 2026 will also demonstrate that Germany has realigned its security policy and strengthened its defence capabilities as a result of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The Bundeswehr Joint Force Command will exercise command and control of Quadriga 2026. It will coordinate all multinational joint exercises.

In 2026, Quadriga will take place in Germany during the core exercise period from February to March. The focus will be on deployment at short notice of operational forces, ready for immediate combat action, on all transport routes in a collective defence scenario. During the Grand Quadriga exercise in February 2026, for example, the Army will practise rapid deployment of its medium forces – under realistic, near-operational conditions, testing their immediate operational readiness as a manoeuvre unit. Military personnel from Torgelow-based 413 Light Infantry Battalion and Ahlen-based 7 Reconnaissance Battalion will participate. Medium forces will be equipped with armoured wheeled vehicles such as the Boxer MRAVmultirole armoured vehicle (multirole armoured vehicle). This will make them highly mobile: for example, it will enable them to be rapidly deployed to NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization’s eastern flank. Nevertheless, they are so heavily armed that they will be able to prevail against even a strong enemy force.

In February, as part of Northern Quadriga, the Navy will also conduct surveillance and reconnaissance exercises geared towards protection against threats at sea.

A special focus of Quadriga 2026 will be on the Bundeswehr Joint Support Command’s Medic Quadriga exercise in March 2026. During this exercise, the Medical Service will test rapid transport capability and the medical evacuation chain, as well as subsequent provision of medical care for wounded people by civilian partners in Germany, in the context of national and collective defence. Together with the Air Force, the Medical Service will practise strategic evacuation of sick and wounded people from Lithuania to Germany – with medical care right onboard the aircraft. Out of a total of over 1,000 military personnel taking part, around 200 will be there as mock patients, prepared with simulated injuries just like those incurred from a combat operation.

The Bundeswehr special operations forces’ capability network will be integrated in Quadriga 2026 and practise urban and maritime special operations in a national and collective defence scenario as part of the Silver Dagger exercise.

Quadriga 2026 is closely linked to Steadfast Dart 2026, one of NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization’s key exercises in Europe this year. It will exercise deployment of NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Allied Reaction Force (ARFAllied Reaction Force) through Europe under near operational conditions. As a host nation and a NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization hub for Allied armed forces, Germany will play a key role while also supporting the ARFAllied Reaction Force during its stay in Germany. The Bundeswehr’s military and civilian personnel will provide the support services. These services will not be part of the exercise, but rather provided in the form of real-life support.

Based on the core mission of the Alliance, namely to defend its member states, Steadfast Dart is a purely defensive exercise. After completion of deployment, parts of the ARFAllied Reaction Force will exercise together with German forces as part of Grand Quadriga and Northern Quadriga.

The Quadriga exercise cluster is a Bundeswehr-wide full-strength exercise that has taken place every year since 2023. Military personnel from the Army, Navy, Cyber and Information Domain Service and Bundeswehr Joint Support Command exercise joint national and collective defence operations. This enhances the armed forces’ operational readiness and sends a clear signal: The Bundeswehr and its NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization partners are determined and able to defend Germany and the territory of the Alliance.

The exercise series combines existing and new national exercises across the Bundeswehr and embeds them in large-scale multinational exercises to defend NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization territory. Quadriga 2023 focused on the air domain and Quadriga 2024 on the land domain. In 2025, Quadriga focused on the maritime domain – supplemented by extensive exercises deploying the Army to NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization’s eastern flank.