An important task of the Steadfast Defender-24 exercise complex, which has been declared the largest by NATO in recent decades, is to verify and improve the alliance's regional defense plans, which were adopted in the summer of 2023.
At the same time, special attention is paid to the Nordic region. So, on the northern flank of NATO – in Norway, Finland and Sweden (not yet a member of the alliance), as well as in the North Atlantic Ocean and the European Arctic, NATO Arctic exercises Nordic Response ("Northern Response") are planned from March 5 to 14, 2024.
After Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership, Norway expanded the Cold Response maneuvers to a multinational exercise called Nordic Response. These exercises will focus on issues of interaction and the transfer of troops and equipment from the north of Norway, Sweden and Finland to the east. Special attention will be paid to practicing combat operations in winter conditions.
More than 20,000 military personnel, 100 aircraft, more than 50 ships and submarines from 14 countries, including the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Italy, will participate directly in the Nordic Response-24 exercises.
During the Nordic Response-24, in addition to the transfer of personnel and equipment by sea, issues of moving forces by land and air from Finland and Sweden to Norway and back will be worked out. The ground forces of these countries will begin moving from the Enontekie area towards Norway from March 1 to March 3. The trip to Finland is scheduled from March 14 to 17.
The British, who have already begun arriving in Norway, will take over the cover of the land columns during the Nordic Response. More than 1,000 British paratroopers ("marines") are already in the Viking winter training camp (65 km south of Tromso). To solve the tasks of fire support for ground forces, the British intend to use AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, which will be used during exercises in Arctic Norway from 2019.
The joint command of the NATO forces (Norfolk, USA, JFC Norfolk, JFCN) will carry out joint control of the groups of troops in the specified region. Recall that the formation of JFCN, which began in 2018, was completed only last year. The main task of the command is to ensure coordination of the actions of the Navies of the alliance countries during combat operations (exercises) in the North Atlantic and the Far North.
The command of the NATO naval group during Operation Nordic Response was originally planned to be transferred to the British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth. However, due to the breakdown of the propeller shaft, he had to go for repairs. His place was taken by the aircraft carrier Prince of Wales, but he, too, for technical reasons, could not go to sea on time. As a result, so far Britain has provided only the frigate HMS Somerset and two Tide-class tankers to participate in the operation.
Moreover, a joint Nordic air operations center will be established in Buda (Northern Norway) to control the air component of the forces involved in maneuvers in the region. The Air Force is planned to be concentrated at the Rovaniemi base, and air operations will be conducted in the airspace of Lapland.
During the Nordic Response, a Swedish-Finnish division will be formed under the leadership of Finland. Thus, Finland will involve about 4.1 thousand military personnel, including naval staff officers, a coastal jaeger division, reservists and 12 F/A-18 Hornet fighters. In turn, Sweden will provide about 4.5 thousand troops from all types of armed forces, which will be the country's largest participation in NATO maneuvers.
Unlike previous exercises, this year's Nordic Response focuses on the more northern regions of Norway, such as the Alps and Laxelva. It is also planned to use the ports of Harstad, Tromso and, especially, Alta, which are located just a few hundred kilometers from the border with the Kola Peninsula of Russia. At the same time, Western sources indicate that the number of participants may increase.
It is worth noting that in addition to officially stated goals, NATO troops are focusing on expanding military infrastructure in the Nordic countries. This means the modernization of the maritime infrastructure, as well as the construction of large warehouses for the early storage of equipment and weapons for the rapid deployment of military forces in the region.
As we can see, NATO's military activity in Northern Europe indicates a desire to increase its operational readiness for a potential conflict with the Allied State. Moscow reacted to NATO's plans, noting that the Nordic Response military exercises, which will be held in Norway, Finland and Sweden, will lead to an escalation of tension and will not remain without a response from Russia.
Nikolai Astrovsky