Santa Margarida, Portugal, May 11, 2026 (Lusa) – The Portuguese Army will conduct Orion26 from 18 to 29 May, an event considered "the largest land force exercise," which will bring together more than 1,300 military personnel from Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Romania, the military announced on Monday.
Orion26, coordinated by the Land Forces Command, is an operational and tactical exercise combining field training with computer-assisted command post drills. It aims to prepare the European Union Battle Group (EUBG) to plan and conduct EU crisis management operations.
The exercise will take place at the Santa Margarida Military Camp in the Santarém region. It will prepare the Intervention Brigade for the planning and conduct of an operation under Article 5 of the NATO Treaty.
The Army describes the EUBG as a multinational rapid reaction force of the European Union. While centred on the land force, it also integrates naval, air, and special operations assets, comprising about 2,200 military personnel from Portugal, France, Italy, Romania, and Spain.
A Portuguese general officer, who commands the Mechanised Brigade based in Santa Margarida, leads the force.
As part of Orion26, the Madeira Military Zone Rifle Company, comprising 120 military personnel, will also be certified to join the EUBG, thereby strengthening “the readiness, interoperability and projection capability” of Portuguese forces in a multinational context.
Integrating EUBG forces and ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance) capabilities remains the primary goal, the Army stated. This system supports operations through the collection, processing, and dissemination of information.
The exercise concludes on 29 May at the Mechanised Brigade in Santa Margarida. The final day includes an exhibition of participating forces' capabilities and a live-fire tactical exercise involving the main weapon systems used in Orion26.
The Orion exercise involved approximately 1,700 personnel from the same five countries, in 2025. It certified the European Union’s multinational rapid reaction force commanded by Portugal, a commitment the Portuguese Army described as historic.
NATO Article 5 establishes the principle of collective defence. It mandates that an armed attack against one member state constitutes an attack against all, potentially triggering a joint military and political response from the allies.
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