Finland’s Kainuu Brigade will lead two major military exercises from 12-31 May 2025, involving approximately 6,500 personnel from Finland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, the Finnish Defence Forces reported on 5 May.
The exercises, Northern Strike 125 and Northern Star 25, aim to develop military cooperation and capabilities in Northern Finland with NATO allies.
The exercises focus on developing the ability to plan and implement multinational land operations in northern areas, as well as improving allied joint fire use, leadership, reconnaissance, and situation awareness.
Russia has significantly increased its military threat toward the Baltic states. Officials warned that a ceasefire in Ukraine could allow Moscow to quickly redeploy and reinforce its forces on NATO’s northeastern flank, sharply raising security risks for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
“This exercise complex is a logical continuation of previous years’ exercises to develop capabilities together with our allies,” Lieutenant Colonel Jukka Vuorisalmi, the exercise director, said.
Around 900 Swedish and 350 British troops will join Finnish forces. The British contingent will bring AH-64E Apache combat helicopters and an MLRS battery.
The Northern Strike 125 firing exercise will include indirect fire drills conducted jointly with allies. Air-to-ground firing operations will feature British Apache helicopters and Finnish F/A-18 Hornet fighters.
“The British combat helicopter unit and MLRS battery bring a significant addition to the development of joint fire planning and implementation,” Vuorisalmi said.
Northern Star 25 will involve a two-sided simulator-assisted combat exercise. The Jaeger Brigade’s infantry firing exercise is also part of the training schedule.
Swedish forces will come from the 19th Brigade based in Boden. Helicopters from all three nations will participate in the exercises.
The Finnish Air Force will support air operations during the combat exercise phase from 16-30 May 2025. Drones will also be used for air operations.
Movement restrictions will be implemented at the Rovajärvi training area during the combat exercise phase from 26-31 May 2025, to ensure safety.
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