NATO will begin exercises on Monday to defend its newly expanded northern territory when more than 20,000 soldiers from 13 countries take part in a nearly fortnight-long exercise in the northern regions of Sweden, Finland and Norway.
More than 4,000 Finnish soldiers are participating in the Norwegian-led Nordic Response 2024 exercise, the largest participation by a new NATO member in a foreign exercise.
The Finnish Defence Forces said in a statement:
For the first time, Finland will participate as a NATO member nation in exercising collective defence of the alliance’s regions.
Finland joined NATO in April 2023, taking a historic step after decades of military non-alignment. After its proposal was ratified by all NATO members, neighbouring Sweden is now completing formalities to join the military alliance as the 32nd member – most likely in March.
For years, NATO’s biannual exercise, which takes place in Arctic conditions in northern Norway, has been called “Cold Response.”
However, “thanks to the expansion of NATO to include Finland and eventually Sweden, we are now extending the exercise to Northern Response,” the Norwegian Armed Forces website says.
Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United States are taking part in the exercise, which runs until 15 March.
About half of the participating troops will conduct exercises on land. The rest will train at sea – more than 50 submarines, frigates, corvettes, aircraft carriers and various landing craft – and in the air – more than 100 fighter jets, transport aircraft, maritime surveillance aircraft and helicopters, the Norwegian military said. The joint exercise will focus on the defence and protection of the Nordic region, the Norwegian military said.
