Sweden is already taking part in NATO exercises before joining

Shortly before Sweden officially joins NATO, the Swedish armed forces are taking part in the alliance’s largest military air exercise since the end of the Cold War. “The new concept now is that we try to push integration further, and this is made possible by Finland’s new NATO membership and Sweden’s upcoming NATO membership,” said Maj. Gen. Rolf Folland, head of the Norwegian Air Force and head of a new one Air Force Center, on Tuesday. “This removes the last obstacle to full integration and allows us to operate as one air force in times of peace, crisis and war.” The exercises, in which more than 20,000 soldiers from over a dozen countries take part, take place in the far north of Norway, Sweden and Finland to counter the growing threat from Russia.