The largest NATO artillery exercise in Europe, Lightning Strike 24, began in Finland on November 4.
This was reported by the Finnish broadcaster Yle.
“Lightning Strike 24 is part of the Dynamic Front 25 series of exercises, which are being held in five European countries – Finland, Estonia, Germany, Romania and Poland.
The artillery exercises will take place in the Rovajärvi and Rovaniemi districts of Finnish Lapland and will last until November 28.
Approximately 3,600 military personnel will take part in the exercise, including about 1,250 soldiers from international forces.
The exercise aims to demonstrate the Alliance’s defense capabilities in the Northern Europe region, as well as to practice operational command, control and cooperation with NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps.
“The scale of the exercise shows that if necessary, we can get support from Allies very quickly, as well as from the Allied Command. This is a good example of how our own field artillery, combined with Allied forces and capabilities, forms a strong defense in northern Finland and NATO.”
In total, about 5,000 troops from 28 different countries will take part in NATO’s Dynamic Front 25 exercise.