The Army's EX Lightning Strike 24 as a part of NATO's largest ever artillery exercise series conducted in Europe
Exercise Lightning Strike 24 to be led by the Army Academy will be organized in the Rovajärvi and Rovaniemi area from 4 to 28 November 2024. The exercise is a part of the United States-led exercise series Dynamic Front 25 conducted in the territories of five countries, being the largest NATO artillery exercise series ever conducted in Europe.
Lightning Strike 24 to be conducted in Finland will involve the participation of up to 3 600 soldiers, including around 1 250 international troops. Finnish forces participating in the exercise will include units from Army brigade-level units, the Air Force, Border Guard, the Finnish Defence Forces C5 Agency, Centre for Military Medicine, and the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command. The objective of the exercise is to demonstrate defence capability in the operational area of the north in cooperation with Finland’s Allies and Partners as well as other authorities. Another goal is to practise operational command and control and cooperation with the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, ARRC.
- Rovajärvi, the largest firing range and training area in Northern Europe, will provide Allied troops with an excellent setting for exercising long-range fire. We are very happy to be able to execute Lightning Strike as a part of a larger exercise development framework this year, says the Director of Exercise Lightning Strike 24 Colonel Janne Mäkitalo.
In Exercise Dynamic Front 25, artillery units will operate flexibly in several countries’ territories simultaneously. The Allied troops participating in the exercise conducted in Finland will total 1 250, including units from the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, Estonia, France and the Czech Republic, among others. The exercise activities taking place in Finland will enhance the Army units’ fires command and control and use of artillery systems.
- The operations conducted in the exercise require the participating units to demonstrate interoperability i.a. in command and control, logistics and sharing of situation awareness. Finland already has a good level of joint fires interoperability as a part of the Alliance, and this exercise will enhance it even more, says Colonel Mäkitalo.
Largest Nato artillery exercise series ever conducted in Europe
Lightning Strike 24 is a part of the United States-led exercise series Dynamic Front 25 conducted in the territories of five countries, being the largest NATO artillery exercise series ever conducted in Europe. A total of approximately 5 000 soldiers from 28 different countries will participate in Dynamic Front 25 in Finland, Estonia, Germany, Romania and Poland. The main focus of the exercise will be Rovajärvi where approximately 3 600 soldiers in total will take part in training in November.
- The size of the exercise shows that if necessary, we can receive support from Allies very rapidly indeed and also command allied forces. This is a good example of the fact that our own field artillery, combined with Allied capabilities, forms a strong defence in the northern part of Finland and NATO. The goal is that as the outcome of this exercise, the Alliance’s joint fires will be even more precise than before, Colonel Mäkitalo concludes.
Equipment transports on the roads in October already
International equipment transportations to the exercise area will start from mid-October. There will be individual transports of equipment throughout the length of Finland from week 42 onwards.
The exercise will mostly impact those in the Rovaniemi - Kemijärvi area, as an increase in round-the-clock traffic and an increase in the use of local services.
The international air defence exercise ADEX 2/24 Mallet Strike will be organized at the Lohtaja Firing Range and Training Area from 12 - 21 November 2024. This exercise involving approximately 1 300 soldiers will affect the traffic at the same time as Lightning Strike 24.
Authorities will work together to make traffic smoother and to minimize the impact of the exercise on outsiders.
