LEGIO – training shaped by the experience of war

At the multinational training centre Camp Jomsborg in Poland, Norwegian and Allied instructors are training personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as part of Operation LEGIO.

Representatives of Defence Forces of Ukraine play a key role in developing and continuously adapting the training programme itself.

Legio, launched in 2024 under Norwegian leadership, is a joint initiative involving Ukraine and nine partner nations – Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Finland and Sweden – focused on the training and equipping of Ukrainian personnel.

For Norway, this is the first international operation it has led. In 2025, Norway’s contribution amounted to approximately NOK 10 billion (around EUR 860 million) for the provision of equipment, infrastructure development and training.

The operation covers both basic soldier training and advanced courses for officers and specialists. Training is designed to replicate combat conditions as closely as possible and includes tactics, trench warfare and the employment of unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The camp therefore includes a UAS laboratory and a training facility for operations in built-up areas, designed to replicate a Ukrainian settlement.

The course programmes are developed jointly with the Ukrainian side, which identifies the most urgent operational requirements, while combat experience from the frontline is incorporated into the training process. At the same time, Norwegian and Allied personnel learn from the experience of their Ukrainian counterparts and apply these lessons within their own units.

An important component is the training of instructors. Through the “train-the-trainer” approach, the skills and competencies acquired during the courses can be passed on after personnel return to Ukraine. This means that the impact of training at Jomsborg extends well beyond those who directly complete the courses.

Jomsborg provides a setting where Ukrainians, Norwegians and Allied personnel learn from one another with a shared objective – to strengthen Ukraine’s defence capabilities.

Based on material provided by the Public Affairs Service of the Norwegian Armed Forces.

© Foto: Torbjørn Kjosvold / Forsvaret