Britain and France will lead a major multinational military exercise in Poland from 9 to 22 November, preparing European forces for a possible future security mission in Ukraine. The exercise, called Koalicja, will be centred on the Nowa Dęba training area in south-eastern Poland and will test whether participating countries can rapidly move, command and supply a multinational force if fighting in Ukraine comes to an end.
The British Ministry of Defence formally confirmed the plans on Tuesday, 3 November, describing the event as the first major exercise organised by the Multinational Force for Ukraine (MNF-U).
MNF-U is the military planning structure established by countries participating in the Coalition of the Willing, the international grouping led by Britain and France that is developing possible security guarantees for Ukraine.
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The exercise will take place on Polish territory, with related air and maritime activities organised as part of the wider multinational programme.
According to the British Ministry of Defence’s official announcement, the objective is to test practical preparations for a force that could help Ukraine strengthen its armed forces after a cessation of hostilities.
No ceasefire has been agreed, and the exercise does not represent an authorisation to deploy foreign soldiers into Ukraine.
Exercise Koalicja will test command, logistics and air operations
The training will focus on the organisational challenges of assembling and sustaining a multinational force.
Participating troops will rehearse moving personnel and equipment across national borders, maintaining communications between different armed forces and establishing effective command arrangements.
The exercise will also test how supplies and other essential resources could be delivered to a future multinational operation.
These preparations are intended to determine whether countries with different military systems can operate as a coordinated force.
According to Le Monde’s reporting on the exercise, counter-drone operations and communications interoperability will form important parts of the programme.
The British contribution will include approximately 300 military personnel, among them soldiers from the British Army’s 7 Brigade, known as the Desert Rats.
Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets and a Voyager refuelling aircraft will also participate.
British officials say the aircraft will rehearse activities relevant to a possible future operation supporting the reopening and protection of Ukrainian airspace.
France is expected to provide the largest contingent, with approximately 1,100 personnel, according to information reported by Euronews following announcements from London and Paris.
The French contingent will work alongside British forces and military personnel from other European countries.
The participating nations include Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Türkiye is also participating, but its maritime component will be conducted from Istanbul rather than through a Turkish ground contingent in Nowa Dęba.
That element will simulate preparations for mine-clearance operations that could eventually help restore safer commercial navigation in the Black Sea.
A Ukrainian military delegation is also expected to attend as observers, according to information supplied by Poland’s Defence Ministry to Polish media.
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How many soldiers will take part?
The overall number of participants remains subject to different publicly reported estimates.
The British Ministry of Defence says approximately 2,800 personnel will participate across the exercise’s land, air and maritime components, involving 11 countries.
However, Poland’s Defence Ministry has provided a larger estimate.
Lieutenant Colonel Michał Tomczyk, a spokesman for the ministry, told Polish broadcaster RMF FM that almost 2,000 Polish soldiers would participate and that the overall number could approach 5,000.
Tomczyk described the approximately 2,800-person figure as referring to foreign participants.
That differs from the British announcement, which includes Poland among the countries represented in its exercise.
The two figures may reflect differences in how organisers count multinational contingents and Polish supporting units. However, the precise explanation has not been publicly established.
For that reason, the approximately 2,800-person multinational exercise and Poland’s larger overall estimate should be treated as separately attributed figures rather than combined into a single confirmed total.
What would the proposed force do in Ukraine?
The exercise is intended to prepare for a future multinational mission that could operate in Ukraine after a credible cessation of hostilities.
Its stated purpose would be to help strengthen Ukraine’s long-term security and reduce the risk of another Russian offensive.
The British government says the proposed force would assist in rebuilding Ukrainian military capabilities, improving the security of Ukrainian airspace and supporting the restoration of maritime activity.
Officials have emphasised that MNF-U would not be designed to conduct offensive operations.
They have also distinguished its proposed responsibilities from a traditional peacekeeping or ceasefire-monitoring mission.
Under the British government’s stated plans, deployment into Ukraine would require fighting to have ceased and a request from the Ukrainian government.
The coalition’s preparations do not establish that those conditions have been met.
Nor do they resolve all the questions surrounding the deployment of foreign forces.
An August assessment by the British House of Commons Library identified unresolved issues involving the force’s size, national contributions, legal arrangements, duration and rules of engagement.
Those questions remain important because the security environment could change rapidly if fighting resumed after a ceasefire.
Russia has opposed proposals for Western military deployments in Ukraine, while European governments have continued examining possible security guarantees for Kyiv.
Why Poland is hosting the exercises
Poland’s selection as the principal location reflects its geographical position and established role in providing military and logistical assistance to Ukraine.
The country has become a major transit point for international equipment and supplies supporting Kyiv.
Its military facilities, transport networks and proximity to Ukraine also make it a practical location for rehearsing the movement of multinational forces.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced in July that Poland would host the coalition’s first military exercises, following discussions with European leaders in Paris.
At the time, the Polish government confirmed that British and French forces would take part, but did not provide the exact location or dates now announced.
Poland-24 reported on the planned multinational exercise on 17 October, when British media disclosed further preparations involving troops from Britain, France and Germany.
The latest announcements establish a fuller timetable, additional participating countries and specific operational objectives.
The exercise also follows the three-year defence cooperation plan signed by Poland and Britain on 27 October, which includes commitments to closer military training and cooperation.
However, Exercise Koalicja remains a separate multinational initiative rather than a bilateral Polish-British exercise.
Polish participation does not mean troops will enter Ukraine
Poland’s participation in the exercise should not be confused with a commitment to send Polish soldiers across the Ukrainian border.
The government has repeatedly stated that Warsaw’s contribution to a future security arrangement will concentrate on logistics, organisational support and providing facilities for allied forces.
Following coalition discussions in January, Tusk reaffirmed in an official government statement that Poland did not intend to deploy its own soldiers into Ukraine.
Instead, he identified Poland as a leading country for organising and supporting any future international operation.
The presence of Polish troops at Nowa Dęba therefore does not, by itself, represent a change in that policy.
There is also an important distinction concerning NATO.
Although many of the countries participating in the Coalition of the Willing are NATO members, MNF-U is not a NATO operation.
NATO has been kept informed about Exercise Koalicja, according to French reporting, but is not expected to participate directly as an organisation.
What happens next?
Exercise Koalicja is scheduled to begin on Monday, 9 November, and continue until Sunday, 22 November 2026.
The practical rehearsals should allow military planners to assess how quickly participating countries can assemble their forces, coordinate operations and sustain an international mission.
They may also identify problems involving communications, logistical arrangements or the integration of different military systems.
Those findings could shape further preparations for MNF-U.
But the exercise itself will not settle the political decisions required before any multinational force could enter Ukraine.
Its eventual mission would depend on the course of the war, agreement on security arrangements and decisions by individual participating governments.
For Poland, the November manoeuvres represent a significant operational milestone in its role as a military and logistical hub for European support to Ukraine.
For the Coalition of the Willing, they will provide the first major practical test of whether plans discussed by European leaders can be translated into coordinated military capability.
