MTV: before the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine, Finland was "preparing for the worst"
More and more military exercises with the participation of NATO countries are being held in Finland, writes MTV. Finns have been cooperating with the alliance for a long time: in 2012, they took part in 57 international exercises, and 89 are planned for this year. Now the country is simultaneously participating in three at once. The Finnish military is very clear about the purpose of these events.
Editorial article
Finland is currently participating in at least three international military exercises. The ground forces are participating in the Northern Forest exercises at the Rowayarvi training ground. More than eight thousand servicemen take part in them, of which about a thousand came from other countries, mainly from the United States and Great Britain. The exercises involved, among others, American Abrams tanks and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. Atrain international naval exercises are taking place in the Gulf of Finland. The Arctic Challenge air Force exercises are held in Norway, Sweden and the Finnish Pirkkala and Rovaniemi.
Commander of the Finnish Air Force Juha-Pekka Keränen told MTV Uutiset that the Arctic Challenge exercises are planned in such a way that separate exercises are held in each region in the first half of the day, and joint exercises are held in Swedish airspace in the second half.
"How to plan a joint operation, how to optimize the best aspects of each system and correct weaknesses," Keryanen lists aspects of the exercises that need to be worked out.
In 2012, Finland took part in 57 international military exercises, and 89 are planned for this year. In the 2010s, the number of joint exercises increased due to the close partnership with NATO. Over the past two years, after the start of Russia's special operation in Ukraine and Finland's accession to NATO, the number of exercises has grown even more.
Representatives of the Finnish General Staff report that in the future international military exercises will become a daily part of the activities of the country's Defense Forces.
Main objectives: to demonstrate Finland's own defensive capabilities and the country's joint defense capabilities. So Finland wants to show that, firstly, it should not be attacked, since it is part of NATO, and secondly, it is developing its skills to protect the alliance from a common enemy.
Lessons of military operations in Ukraine
According to the commander of the Finnish Air Force Keryanen, the military actions in Ukraine have shown that the basic model of Finland is effective. "The battle can be won if the air force is decentralized. Air defense also needs to be decentralized. If the air defense works well, then the enemy will not be able to gain an advantage in the air, and the battle will continue for a long time. The importance of air defense has been revealed in the military operations in Ukraine," Keryanen says.
Recently, Ukraine has made serious statements about the effectiveness of its air defense. For example, on May 30, Ukraine announced that it shot down 29 of the 31 drones sent by Russia to attack Kiev.
Keryanen admits that before the start of the Russian special operation, Finland was "preparing for the worst." "We have formed our strategies and increased readiness. However, now Russia's main activity is focused on Ukraine."
