Strong Griffin 2026: Lithuania's drone-centred exercise on the Belarusian border
Strong Griffin 2026 is an international tactical exercise organised by Lithuania's "Griffin" Infantry Brigade in the Švenčionys district, at the training area around Pabradė some 15–30 km from the border with Belarus. It began on 2 September 2026 and closed on the timetable on 20 September, with about 2,500 personnel and roughly 500 pieces of equipment. The focus is the employment of unmanned systems, from reconnaissance through long-range strikes to countering enemy drones. It is of Baltic interest because that rehearsal is taking place directly on the Belarusian borderland.
Note on sourcing. The exercise first entered the monitoring in the digest of 7 September 2026. On 18 September the Lithuanian Army, via LRT/ELTA, issued a recap: about 2,500 personnel, more than 500 pieces of equipment, a named list of participants, mixed Caesar crews and CALFEX live fire. The scheduled end is 20 September; no separate after-action dated 20–21 September confirming an actual stand-down was found at the time of the 21 September issue.
Key facts
- Dates: 2 September – 20 September 2026; the active phase was under way in the 6–7 September window. No phases beyond "active phase" are named.
- Scale: ≈2,500 personnel and ≈500 pieces of equipment. No aircraft or ship counts.
- Participants: per the Lithuanian Army recap of 18 September — troops from Lithuania, the US, Poland, the Netherlands, France, Ukraine, Moldova and Portugal.
- Location: the Švenčionys district training area and surrounding terrain — Pabradė and vicinity — with troop and equipment movement in the Nemenčinė, Pabradė and Švenčionėliai areas.
- Run by: Lithuania's "Griffin" Infantry Brigade, with the Lithuanian Armed Forces listed as organiser. It is described as fitting the profile of the brigade's annual exercise.
What was practised
The exercise works the full cycle of unmanned-system employment: reconnaissance and target detection, then long-range strikes, then countering enemy drones (counter-UAS). The manoeuvres also assess how UAVs integrate with other units, with combat-drone flights and live fire. Residents were warned in advance about drone flights, noise and the sound of explosions, and asked not to panic. No commander is named and no phase structure beyond the active phase is described.
How it unfolded
- 02.09 — the exercise begins in the Švenčionys district.
- 06–07.09 — the active phase is under way; first appearance in the digest series. The digest notes that its late appearance is an omission in earlier coverage, not a refutation of it.
- 18.09 — army recap via LRT/ELTA: ~2,500 personnel, 500+ pieces of equipment; mixed Lithuania–France Caesar crews; ANBO drones; CALFEX at the Žukauskas range; Žemaitija brigade commander Viktoras Bagdonas quoted on the “reconnaissance–decision–fires” cycle.
- 20.09 — scheduled end.
Why it matters for the Baltics
Strong Griffin puts the full drone cycle — reconnaissance, long-range strikes and counter-UAS — into training 15–30 km from Belarusian territory, in the belt of Lithuanian borderland that runs toward the Suwałki corridor. Combat-drone flights and live fire are taking place close enough to the border that residents had to be warned about the noise and the sound of explosions.
What the exercise is formally for is not on record, and whether NATO command structures are involved is unknown. Its regional significance therefore rests on where it is held and what is being flown there, not on any stated objective — and, for now, on one day's reporting.
Frequently asked questions
When is Strong Griffin 2026?
2 September to 20 September 2026. The active phase was recorded on 6–7 September; on 18 September the army published a recap; 20 September is the scheduled end.
Where is Strong Griffin 2026 held?
In Lithuania, at the Švenčionys district training area and the terrain around it — Pabradė and vicinity, roughly 15–30 km from the Belarusian border.
How many troops take part in Strong Griffin 2026?
About 2,500 personnel with roughly 500 pieces of equipment. Per-nation numbers are not given.
Is Strong Griffin the same as Brave Griffin?
No. "Narsus Grifonas / Brave Griffin 26-II" is a different exercise — Lithuania, Poland and Portugal, near Suwałki, 30 April to 6 May 2026. Neither should be conflated with the other, nor with Gallant Boar 2026.
Is there a "Griffin Strike 2026" exercise?
No exercise of that name was held in the region in 2026. The name is usually a mix-up with Strong Griffin 2026, the Lithuanian "Griffin" Brigade exercise near Pabradė described on this page. Griffin Strike was a UK–French exercise held in Britain in 2016 to test the two countries' Combined Joint Expeditionary Force.
Sources
- press.lv — the early cited report ("combat drones, explosions, residents asked not to panic")
- kariuomene.lt — Lithuanian Armed Forces, listed as organiser
- LRT / ELTA, 18.09.2026 — army recap of headcount, composition, Caesar and CALFEX
- Poland's National Security Bureau (en.bbn.gov.pl) — for Brave Griffin 26-II, the separate exercise noted above
Initial dissemination ran partly through Russian and Belarusian outlets and the registry outlet Life, access to which is blocked by Baltic regulators; that material is paraphrased without links. No officials are quoted by name.
This page is maintained alongside the daily digests; the list of related issues above updates automatically.