British troops have participated in the Vigilant Knife military exercise with the Swedish and Finnish Armed Forces, aimed at strengthening "interoperability" between the armies in the context of the war in Ukraine.
This joint exercise was conducted between August 29 and September 2 in Rovaniemi and Rovajarvi, in northern Finland. According to the Finnish channel Yle, 200 professionals and 1,300 Finnish conscripts and reservists took part, as well as about 900 Swedish and 80 British soldiers.
"The novelty is that Sweden has handed over its troops to the command of the Finnish Army. This has never happened before in military exercises," Arto Hirvela, chief of staff of the Finnish Armed Forces' Kainuu Brigade, told the channel.
The UK Ministry of Defense has indicated that this program offers a strengthening of "interoperability," according to the BBC, as both Nordic countries are in the process of joining NATO.
Along these lines, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has reiterated British support for the inclusion of Stockholm and Helsinki joining the Atlantic Alliance. "As long as there is war in Europe, it is more important than ever to strengthen our international alliances," he said.
The British defense ministry also pointed out the importance of the operation, describing it as an "invaluable opportunity" for the United Kingdom.
"The Vigilant Knife exercise is an invaluable opportunity for UK personnel to develop their skills and experience of cold weather warfare, enabling them to be effective on the battlefield alongside their Finnish and Swedish counterparts," said Wallace.