Newly enlarged NATO starts drill in Finland, Norway and Sweden in defense of its Nordic turf
By JARI TANNER
Associated Press
HELSINKI (AP) — NATO kicked off an exercise on Monday to defend its newly expanded Nordic territory when more than 20,000 soldiers from 13 nations take part in drills lasting nearly two weeks in the northern regions of Finland, Norway and Sweden. With over 4,000 Finnish soldiers taking part in the Norway-led Nordic Response 2024, Finland’s military says this is the NATO newcomer’s largest ever participation in a foreign exercise. Finland, which shares an 830-mile border with Russia, joined NATO in April 2023 after decades of military non-alignment. Neighboring Sweden is currently finalizing formalities to enter NATO as its 32nd member — most likely in March.