One of the country’s largest exercises this fall, “Freezing Winds 24”, started a few days ago in southern Finland and the northern Baltic Sea. The exercise, led by the Finnish Navy, will run until November 29 and will involve not only the Finnish Navy but also troops from the Finnish Army and Air Force, the Logistics Command and Border Guard as well as the NATO-allies USA, Germany, France (-> Germany, France & Poland: Strengthening Europe’s defense) and Sweden.
In addition to around 4,000 people involved in the exercise, around 30 combat ships, service and support vessels, transport ships and coastal and land troops will also take part in “Freezing Winds”. NATO’s standing groups SNMG1 (Maritime Group 1) and SNMCMG1 (Mine Countermeasures Group 1) will also be involved. The aim of “Freezing Winds” is to train under the weather conditions on the Finnish coast and the Baltic Sea in November – in particular the protection of maritime traffic and the monitoring and protection of underwater infrastructure. The exercise leader, Captain Marko Laaksonen, said: “At this time of year, the weather can be anything from heavy snowfall to rainy fall storms. We need to ensure interoperability in all circumstances, and exercises in these unique conditions will definitely increase our readiness.” https://militaeraktuell.at/kampf-gegen-drohnen-mit-bullfrog-skyranger/ The Finnish coastal units will work together with units from the US Marine Corps and divers from the US Navy will train. These units will mainly operate in the area between Helsinki and Kotka. Other exercises will be carried out in the vicinity of Kymi airfield. Almost ten aircraft will also be deployed in the course of the exercise: fighter planes and helicopters as well as US and French maritime patrol aircraft. “In the course of Finland’s NATO integration, the ‘Freezing Winds’ exercise has become an important part of NATO operations in the Baltic Sea. We are training cooperation to secure and protect the sea lanes and adjacent areas of Finland,” explained Laaksonen.
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