NATO’s Nordic Response 2024 Exercise Underway in Finland, Norway, and Sweden
HELSINKI (AP) — NATO has launched a major exercise to defend its newly incorporated Nordic territory, with over 20,000 troops from 13 nations participating in maneuvers that will last nearly two weeks in northern Finland, Norway, and Sweden.
The Nordic Response 2024 exercise, led by Norway and involving more than 4,000 Finnish troops, marks the largest participation ever by a NATO newcomer in an overseas exercise, according to the Finnish military. “For the first time, Finland will participate as a NATO member nation in the exercise of collective defense of the alliance’s regions,” reported the Finnish Defense Forces in a statement.
The Swedish Armed Forces also announced that around 4,500 personnel from its Air Force, Army, and Navy would take part in the drill, which is conducted in the challenging winter conditions of the Arctic.
Finland, which borders Russia for 1,340 kilometers (830 miles), joined NATO in April 2023, following decades of military non-alignment. With all NATO members ratifying its candidacy, neighboring Sweden is now in the process of finalizing its procedures to become the military alliance’s 32nd member, likely in March.
The decision to join NATO was influenced by a shift in public opinion in both countries after Russian aggression in Ukraine. Previously, non-alignment was seen as the best way to avoid tensions with Russia, but the invasion of Ukraine prompted a change in stance.
The ongoing pan-Nordic exercise is part of Steadfast Defender 24, NATO’s largest exercise in decades, involving up to 90,000 soldiers over several months to demonstrate the alliance’s capability to defend its territory up to its borders with Russia.
The participating nations in the current exercise, running until March 15, include Belgium, the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United States.