The live CIMIC Quadriga 2026 exercise will take place from June 14 to June 26, 2026, and is the largest multinational civil-military cooperation (CIMIC) exercise within the NATO framework. A total of 28 nations will send soldiers to Germany to jointly train procedures and capabilities for national and alliance defense. The focus of the exercise is the collaboration between armed forces and civilian actors in a complex crisis scenario.
Participants analyze impacts on population, administration, economy, infrastructure, and supply, and from these develop a comprehensive civil situational picture. The aim is to support military decisions on a solid basis and to further strengthen cooperation with civilian partners. The scenario aligns with the security-policy challenges on the NATO eastern flank. The exercise simulates effects of hybrid threats, restrictions of critical infrastructure, as well as the support for the deployment of allied forces across Europe.
Significance of Whole-of-Government Resilience
The exercise thus emphasizes the importance of whole-of-government resilience and the close interaction between military and civilian actors. The host of the exercise is the Civil-Military Cooperation Command of the Bundeswehr in Nienburg/Weser. The exercise brings together military and civilian perspectives and strengthens the ability of NATO member states to remain capable of acting even under complex conditions.
Lieutenant General Gerald Funke, as Commander of the Bundeswehr’s Support Command, responsible for civil-military cooperation, says: “The Support Area forms the interface between military and civilian actors. Without comprehensive civilian support, the German Armed Forces would not be sustainable in a war.” The second-largest organizational area of the Bundeswehr includes 55,000 women and men, and due to its diverse capabilities it has the greatest civil-military interweaving.
CIMIC Quadriga makes a key contribution to further development
During CIMIC Quadriga 2026, a Convoy Support Center (CSC) will be employed. This capability serves the support of through-marching allied forces and exemplifies Germany’s role as a logistic hub within the NATO alliance. The CSC is operated by Rheinmetall Project Solutions GmbH on behalf of the Bundeswehr. This demonstrates the close cooperation between the Bundeswehr and a civilian operator in the area of Host Nation Support.
“National and alliance defense is a whole-of-society task. It succeeds only if armed forces, authorities, companies, and other civilian partners work closely together. CIMIC Quadriga 2026 offers for this a unique multinational exercise framework,” explains Colonel (ret.) Stefan Hofmaier, Commander of the Civil-Military Cooperation Command of the Bundeswehr.
CIMIC Quadriga 2026 makes a substantial contribution to the development of multinational capabilities in the field of civil-military cooperation. The exercise strengthens the alliance’s ability to act and underscores the importance of cooperation between military and civilian actors in an increasingly complex security environment. Between June 14 and 26, 2026, various sub-exercises (Incidents) will take place.
