North Atlantic Treaty Oranisation (NATO) has started a military exercise today aimed at safeguarding its newly expanded Nordic territory, with the participation of over 20,000 soldiers from 13 nations engaging in drills spanning nearly two weeks across Finland, Norway, and Sweden’s northern regions.
The Norway-led Nordic Response 2024 will witness a substantial involvement of Finnish soldiers, exceeding 4,000 troops, marking the largest foreign exercise participation by the NATO newcomer, as confirmed by Finland’s military authorities. Having joined NATO in April 2023, Finland, sharing a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia, has made a significant geopolitical shift. With Sweden’s bid ratified by all NATO members, the nation is on the brink of becoming the alliance’s 32nd member, likely in March.
The Finnish Defence Forces emphasized the historical significance of Finland’s participation as a NATO member in the collective defense of the alliance’s territories, highlighting the pivotal role of the Nordic Response 2024. The expansion of the NATO drill from its previous iteration, known as “Cold Response,” to the current “Nordic Response,” reflects the incorporation of Finland and the imminent inclusion of Sweden in the alliance, according to statements from the Norwegian Armed Forces.
The multinational exercise, scheduled until March 15, will see the involvement of Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. Approximately half of the participating troops will undergo land-based training, while the remainder will engage in maritime and aerial exercises, with a diverse fleet of submarines, frigates, corvettes, aircraft carriers, fighter jets, transport aircraft, maritime surveillance aircraft, and helicopters contributing to the drills, as outlined by Norwegian military officials.
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Major European military powers Germany and Poland reiterated last month that they had no intention of deploying troops to Ukraine, as speculation circulated regarding possible Western military intervention amid the ongoing conflict with Russia, which has now entered its third year.
NATO’s leadership also clarified that the U.S.-led alliance had no immediate plans to dispatch troops to Ukraine, echoing statements from other central European countries that they were not considering military involvement. The Kremlin responded by warning that any move by NATO to send combat troops to Ukraine would inevitably lead to a direct conflict between the alliance and Russia. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, emphasized the seriousness of the situation, stating, “In this scenario, we’re not talking about possibility, but certainty.”
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