Coalition of the Willing to hold 1st joint military exercise in Poland

The Coalition of the Willing will hold its first large-scale military exercise in Poland next week, the UK Ministry of Defense announced Tuesday.

The coalition is an informal group of countries that have pledged military, economic and diplomatic support to Ukraine.

The exercise, named Koalicja, will run from Nov. 9-22.

Around 2,800 troops from 11 countries will participate, with France and the UK jointly leading the exercise. Other participating countries are Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Türkiye.

The exercise is designed to test command structures and logistical procedures for transporting, protecting and supplying troops and equipment to support Ukraine once the fighting ends.

It will also test coordination among members of the Multinational Force for Ukraine (MNF-U), the military component of the Coalition of the Willing.

The UK Ministry of Defense said the force would deploy to Ukraine only after fighting has ended and at the request of the Ukrainian government. It would not undertake peacekeeping or ceasefire-monitoring duties.

Turkish forces will also conduct maritime exercises in Istanbul, testing arrangements for mine clearance to allow commercial shipping to return safely to Ukrainian ports.