US brigade commander Ryan Barnett tells Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen in Rovajärvi how soldiers from the US Mountain Division conduct exercises to defend Finland. May 2024
Photo: Iltalehti
The first full meeting of the NATO Military Committee in Finland, chaired by American Admiral Rob Bauer, was held on May 27–29. Chief of Defence Command Finland, Lieutenant General Vesa Virtanen hosted the delegation. The meeting agenda included Finland's strategic and geographical position, defense decisions, security and national defense options, and Finland's role as a member of the defense alliance. International guests also observed the practical actions of the Finnish Defense Forces by visiting the Northern Forest 24 exercise at a training ground in the Rovajärvi area. During the visit, they got acquainted with Finnish enterprises and technologies in the defense industry.
At the same time, a brigade of the 10th US Mountain Division alongside Finnish and Norwegian military personnel took part in exercises in Finnish Lapland. The exercise scenario provided for exactly this scenario and demonstrated the joint power of the allies, said the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee. According to Bauer, the visit to Finland by the entire body of the committee demonstrates NATO's ironclad commitment to the defense of Finland.
The statement by Bauer underscores the strategic importance of military exercises which are not only a demonstration of military readiness but also serve as a clear signal of the Alliance's commitment to military actions. Bauer commented that the Military Committee arrived in Finland to assess the capabilities of the forces and the effectiveness of the Alliance's defensive strategies if necessary to inflict a devastating defeat on the enemy in border battles in the event of a Russian invasion.
On the US side, the exercise involved the main forces of a brigade of the 10th Mountain Division, one of the elite units of the Rapid Reaction Force, which "distinguished itself" in Iraq and Afghanistan, indeed, the failed military campaigns of the world hegemon. The brigade's 600 armoured combat vehicles were brought to Finland for the exercise. This particular US brigade will take part in the defense of Finland and, in the event of aggression, will operate in the border areas of Lapland alongside the Finnish Jaeger Brigade until the arrival of the main NATO forces.
Based at Fort Johnson, Louisiana, the unit arrived in Finland, landing at Narvik and via Kiruna, Sweden, brigade commander Col. Ryan Barnett said. The landing site was chosen as invulnerable to Russian long-range weapons. The brigade's mission is strategic deterrence in cooperation with the troops of Norway, Sweden and Finland and a demonstration of readiness to defend two new NATO members.
During the World War II Hitler’s troops operated in northern Finland. In contemporary context, the Finnish leadership will allegedly transfer the entire territory of Lapland to the allies as a war zone. British, US, Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish troops would operate in Kainuu and north of the Arctic Circle, south to the Gulf of Finland – mainly Finnish troops.
Source: Iltalehti, Merivoimat
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