SITM 2027 Conferences
Key themes at the heart of the program, exploring how forces live, move, fight and endure mountain and cold-weather environments.
The International Summit of Mountain Troops and Cold Weather Operations (SITM) will take place on 10–11 February 2027 in Grenoble, in partnership with the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade. This international event brings together military, institutional and industry stakeholders from multiple nations to address the operational challenges of mountainous, Arctic and isolated environments.
Eight round tables will structure the discussions, complemented by keynotes, lesson-learned sessions and workshops. Together, they will bring allied experience, operational requirements and innovation into dialogue around a common challenge: preparing forces to fight together, maintain their autonomy and endure in extreme environments.
The Eight Themes at a Glance
- Nordic strategic cultures: four models facing the High North
Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway now operate within the same collective defence architecture.
Yet their geography and missions remain distinct: defense in depth, maritime approaches, Arctic sovereignty and the reception of allied reinforcements.
Do the Nordic countries now share a common strategic culture, or do national differences continue to shape the way they prepare for and conduct warfare?
- Decentralized combat, artificial intelligence and robotis: remaining effective without C2
When units are dispersed and communications are jammed or interrupted, AI and robotic systems can strengthen autonomy and reduce the exposure of personnel. Their integration nevertheless raises major doctrinal and operational questions, which the Ukrainian experience provides a valuable lens through which to examine.
The war in Ukraine, characterized by the large-scale use of drones, rapid adaptation of systems and highly decentralized decision-making, highlights the gap that can remain between technological promise and battlefield reality. How far can decision-making be delegated, particularly when units are operating in isolated or contested areas?
To what extent can AI and robotics enhance the effectiveness of isolated or decentralized units when communications are disrupted or unavailable?
- Projecting force into extreme environments: from airborne to amphibious operations
Projecting a force into an extreme environment requires the ability to deploy rapidly, establish a foothold in a difficult-to-access theatre and maintain combat effectiveness until reinforcements arrive.
Such operations rely on the combination of complementary modes of action—airborne, airmobile, amphibious and special operations—and on close coordination between land, air and maritime components. Success depends as much on this joint and allied integration as on the autonomy of the first units deployed.
How can a force be projected rapidly by air or sea while preserving its ability to maneuver and fight?
- Tactical interoperability in mountain and cold-weather operations: fighting together at every echelon
In mountain and cold-weather environments, interoperability between allied forces must be built and tested at every tactical level.
Distance, terrain, weather and degraded networks put common procedures under pressure.. Recent allied exercises, from Arctic Sentry to Cold Response, highlight both what works and the frictions that remain.
What do recent exercises tell us about coordination across tactical echelons, and what challenges are specific to each level?
- Kill web in a degraded environment: from sensor to effector across allied forces
A kill web connects sensors, command-and-control systems and effectors to accelerate detection, decision-making and engagement. Its effectiveness, however, depends on its ability to continue operating despite jamming, the loss of individual sensors or the fragmentation of allied systems.
How can the continuity of detection, decision-making and engagement be maintained when communications are disrupted?
- Maneuvering and enduring in the cold: mobility, maintenance and vehicle autonomy
In extreme cold, a unit’s freedom of maneuver depends not only on vehicle performance, but also on its ability to keep those vehicles operational far from support infrastructure.
Freezing conditions, steep terrain and difficult resupply place equipment under severe strain. Lessons learned from the VBHM and the development of the future High-Mobility Vehicle (VHM) provide an opportunity to examine the innovations and trade-offs required to balance mobility, protection, maintainability and autonomy.
How can the mobility, availability and autonomy of military vehicles be maintained in extreme cold?
- Preserving the warfighter under pressure and in isolation
Cold, altitude, fatigue and isolation can degrade both the physical and cognitive performance of personnel.
When immediate support is unavailable, preserving these capabilities becomes essential to maintaining operational effectiveness. Specialized units have developed specific expertise to operate and endure under such conditions.
How can the physical and cognitive capabilities of personnel be preserved during prolonged operations in conditions of isolation?
- Sustaining the fight: preparing for a major engagement on NATO’s North-Eastern Flank
Rapidly projecting a force is not enough: it must also be received, supported and sustained at the required operational tempo.
Receiving allied reinforcements requires a clear division of responsibilities between the host nation, contributing nations and multinational command structures. Much of this capability must be prepared in peacetime through pre-positioned stocks, support agreements and advance planning. Distance, infrastructure, maintenance, sustainment and coordination between host and contributing nations therefore become critical factors.
How can an allied force be received and supported on NATO’s North-Eastern Flank, and how can that support be sustained over time?