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On May 29, four ships of NATO member countries arrived in the Finnish port of Hernasaari for military exercises in the Baltic Sea. The ships belonging to the United States, Germany, and France are parked in the port of Helsinki. They include the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Gravely, the Whidbey Island-class landing craft USS Gunston Hall, and the French Navy’s F70 Latouche-Treville submarine. The warships joined the German Navy’s Saxony-class frigate, which arrived in Helsinki after a joint exercise with the Finnish coastal fleet earlier last week. The exercise also involved the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Kearsarge, a Wasp-class landing ship, as well as Finnish and Swedish troops. Sweden sent its second-largest warship to these exercises.
Finnish naval commander Jussi Jasmen commented on the arrival of the NATO warships, claiming that these visits are seena as an expression of solidarity, as Finland’s interests have significantly increased recently. Finnish officials describe the presence of NATO warships as a starting point for dialogue with the alliance, and Sweden is in roughly the same conditions. The countries are forced to violate their historical sovereignty amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
In turn, the commander of the US army Europe and Africa, General Christopher Cavoli, said that Washington does not plan to increase its presence in Sweden and Finland, clarifying that the number of exercises, rotations and other manoeuvres will increase in the region.
Finnish ships will also take part in other NATO maneuvers in 2022. The Ministry of Defense reported that Finland will increase the number of international military exercises. Another 20 different combat training activities are planned for the remaining half of 2022, of which 8 are new. The new military exercises are part of preparations for the interim stage of accession to the Alliance.
The Finnish government understands that Finland’s interests have grown since it applied to NATO on May 18. Finnish authorities have been extremely approving of the visit of the NATO ships. Finland will actively cooperate with NATO on technical and military fields in the future. In response, to the Finnish military manoeuvres, Russia has increased its military presence on the Finnish-Russian border, which is 810 miles long.
Finland’s defense chief noted that it is now crucial to protect Finland during the NATO application process. Petteri Orpo, chairman of the parliamentary defense committee, said the exercise increases the presence of partner nations in the region, which is part of the plan to ensure Finland’s security during the NATO accession process. Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen said the partnership between NATO and Finland during the application period will only grow, and that in addition to military cooperation, visits by allied countries in other areas will take place.
