U.S. Navy SEALs conduct maritime training with Croatian special operations forces on the Adriatic Sea during exercise Trojan Footprint on March 12, 2024. This year’s iteration kicked off Monday, with some 1,000 U.S. service members and 2,000 commandos from 23 countries operating from the Baltics to the Balkans and into the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions. (Bill Carlisle/U.S. Navy)
STUTTGART, Germany — U.S. Green Berets and Navy SEALs are fanning out across Europe this month for large-scale drills designed to showcase how NATO special operators can maneuver undetected at great range.
Trojan Footprint 2026, the largest U.S. special operations-led exercise, kicked off Monday with about 1,000 U.S. service members and 2,000 commandos from 23 countries, U.S. Special Operations Command Europe said in a statement.
The exercise will feature allied troops operating across a vast expanse stretching from the Baltics to the Balkans and into the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions.
Participants will have “a vital exchange of region-specific tactics, techniques and procedures,” said Army Lt. Gen. Richard Angle, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command Europe and NATO Special Operations Command.
“This exercise ensures that through shared expertise and applied lessons learned, every participating nation emerges stronger, more agile, and completely unified in our collective defense,” Angle said.
Green Berets with 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), U.S. Special Operations Command Europe strike simulated targets with live-fire drones during exercise Deep Strike at Grafenwoehr, Germany, May 2, 2026. (Brandon Nelson/U.S. Army)
The troops will practice deep-strike concepts, counter-drone scenarios and drone resupply tactics, the Stuttgart-based SOCEUR said.
The exercise appears to be building on other recent training initiatives in Germany. Last month, Green Berets assigned to SOCEUR carried out exercise Deep Strike at the Army’s training center in Hohenfels.
They practiced infiltrating a 100-mile stretch of simulated enemy territory undetected before launching a drone strike on a high-value target.
Like other U.S.-led drills unfolding across Europe this month, Trojan Footprint also aims to test operational concepts tailored to different regions across Europe. Conventional U.S. forces will also take part in the drills, SOCEUR said.
