Round 150 British Military and Royal Air Pressure personnel have deployed to Finland alongside US and Finnish armed forces for Train VIGILANT FOX. The deployment follows the UK’s joint safety declaration with Finland signed in Might. Greater than 750 troops from the UK, USA and Finland gathered this week in Niinisalo, western Finland, to take part within the four-day high-readiness train. Companion nations practised interoperability between air and land forces forward of Finland’s accession to NATO. This kind of worldwide coaching is essential in making ready allies to function alongside each other ought to NATO must deploy sooner or later.

Finnish and US troopers speaking earlier than the following transfer within the Pohjankangas throughout VIGILANT FOX. (Photograph by Finnish MoD)

Minister for the Armed Forces James Heappey MP mentioned: “Train VIGILANT FOX has demonstrated the energy and interoperability of our Armed Forces with our US and Finnish allies and reaffirms our dedication to the defence and safety of the Baltic Sea area.”

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Wing Commander Stephen Boyle, Defence Attaché, British Embassy Finland, mentioned: “Our troopers, sailors and aviators have obtained a heat welcome in Finland over the previous couple of months.? Train VIGILANT FOX is the newest exercise in an ongoing collection of occasions throughout the domains.”

British participants on Exercise VIGILANT FOX
British members on Train VIGILANT FOX. (Photograph by Finnish MoD)

British troops primarily based in Estonia as a part of Challenge UNIFIED STANCE swooped into Finland in Royal Air Pressure Chinook helicopters. The troops from C Firm, 2 Rifles Battlegroup, have been inserted into Niinisalo to affix Finland’s excessive readiness forces from the Jaeger, Karelia and Pori Brigades. The train additionally included troopers, armoured preventing automobiles and helicopters from the US third Armoured Brigade Fight Group (The Iron Brigade). This train comes simply two weeks after RAF fighter plane deployed to Finland and Sweden for joint coaching.

A Finnish Jaeger Company soldier in combat gear
A Finnish Jaeger Firm soldier in fight gear. (Photograph by Finnish MoD)

Items from all three nations undertook a collection of demanding coaching occasions, conducting offensive and defensive operations together with helicopter assaults, covert landings and short-notice raids utilizing American Black Hawks, Finnish NH-90s and UK Chinooks. Such coaching improves integration between air and land forces, in addition to interoperability between associate nations, and is essential to making sure that NATO forces can work collectively successfully on operations and in conflict. In addition to air-land integration, the train centered on growing command and management procedures and tactical drills utilizing a mix of stay and clean firing drills and concrete operations.