The Kainuu Brigade will lead Northern Strike 125, a live-fire exercise, and Northern Star 25, a combat exercise, at Rovajärvi during 12-31 May 2025. In total, the exercises will be participated by up to c. 6,500 personnel of whom 900 will be from Sweden and 350 from the UK.
Held in the region of Northern Finland, the exercise entity is to develop military joint operating competence and capability among Finland, Sweden, and the UK.
The training detachments participating in Northern Strike 125 will execute indirect fires jointly with allies. Additionally, the exercise will include air-to-ground close air support fires conducted by AH-64E Apache attack helicopters from the UK, and F/A-18 Hornet fighters of the Air Force. The exercise will also include the Jaeger Brigade’s infantry fires exercise.
Northern Star 25 will involve implementation of a dual simulator system -assisted combat exercise.
- This exercise entity is on a logical continuum of exercises held over the past years for the purpose of capability development jointly with our allies. Alongside the Kainuu Brigade, Jaeger Brigade, Border Guard and other forces of the Finnish Defence Forces supporting the exercise, we continue to co-operate closely with the forces of the 19. Brigade from Boden. The exercise-participating attack helicopters and MLRS battery from the UK will significantly contribute to the development of joint fires’ planning and execution. Additionally, the British Army’s infantry unit participating in the combat phase is a valuable addition to the exercise entity, says Exercise Director Lieutenant Colonel Jukka Vuorisalmi.
The exercises’ objective is to develop the ability to plan and execute a multinational land operation in the Northern operating area, as well as to develop the alliance’s joint fires, command and control, intelligence, and forming of situation picture.
The exercise will be participated by helicopters from Finland, Sweden, and the UK. Alongside the helicopters, the Air Force will support the exercise’s air activity during the combat phase on 16-30 May 2025. At this phase, the exercise’s air activity will also involve drones.
For sustained security, at the Rovajärvi range and training area, movement will be restricted during the combat phase on 26-31 May 2025. During the exercises, the on-duty tel. +358 299 451 994 will remain on-call for, among other, contacts by those operating at the area.
