On November 4, the largest NATO artillery military exercise called Lightning Strike 24 began in Finland, which is part of a series of exercises by the member countries of the Alliance in Europe.
Points of attention
- Lightning Strike 24 is the largest NATO artillery military exercise happening in Finland, showcasing defense capabilities in Northern Europe.
- Over 5,000 military personnel from 28 NATO member states are participating in the Dynamic Front 25 series, emphasizing operational command and cooperation.
- The exercises aim to demonstrate the rapid support from allies and the Allied Command, underlining the strong defense formation in Finland and NATO.
- The Ukrainian DELTA combat system's testing at REPMUS 24 in Portugal highlights advancements in unmanned systems, cross-domain interactions, and interoperability with NATO partners.
- The participation of Ukraine's Navy in NATO exercises signifies an important step towards enhancing maritime operations using unmanned platforms and control systems.
Large-scale NATO exercises have started in Finland
The exercises in Finland are conducted under the leadership of the United States and are part of a series of Dynamic Front 25 exercises, which are held on the territory of five European countries — Finland, Estonia, Germany, Romania and Poland.
In Finland, the exercise, which will last until November 28 in the Rovajarvi and Rovaniemi areas of Finnish Lapland, will involve about 3,600 military personnel, including about 1,250 international forces arriving in the region.
The purpose of the exercises is to demonstrate the defense capabilities of the Alliance in the Northern Europe region, as well as practice operational command, control and cooperation with the NATO Joint Rapid Reaction Corps.
The scale of the exercise shows that if needed, we can get support from the Allies very quickly, as well as (from) the Allied Command. This is a good example of how our own field artillery, combined with the capabilities of our allies, form a strong defense in the northern part of Finland and NATO, — emphasized the head of the exercise, Colonel Janne Mäkitalo, in a statement of the Finnish Armed Forces.
In total, about five thousand servicemen from 28 countries will take part in NATO Dynamic Front 25 exercises.
The Ukrainian DELTA combat system was tested at REPMUS 24
The exercises took place near the Troy Peninsula in Portugal from September 9 to 27. The military has practiced using drones for a number of tasks, including anti-submarine warfare, neutralizing sea mines and protecting critical underwater infrastructure.
Among the objectives of the REPMUS 24 training is the integration of unmanned platforms, control systems and cross-domain interaction, as well as achieving interoperability with the control systems of NATO partner countries.
For the first time, the Navy of Ukraine took part in the largest NATO exercises on the use of unmanned systems in maritime operations.
