Finland & Sweden Join NATO

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NATO’s Largest Air Exercise Ever is Now Underway

NATO's air exercise Ramstein Flag 2026 is one of the largest Allied exercises taking place in the High North this year. In Bodø, Northern Norway, the Combined Air Operations Centre commands air operations during the exercise, which is expected to generate more than 150 sorties per day.
en.highnorthnews.com
 

BALTOPS 2026 Exercise Begins​

NATO kicked off maritime exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2026 this week with 20 ships and 6,000 personnel from 15 NATO nations – fewer than BALTOPS 2025 owing to the NATO naval assets wrapped up in the Middle East.

U.S. Sixth Fleet, which leads the exercise, said in a press release that, for the first time since 1972, the exercise will be command-and-controlled from Allied Joint Force Command (JFC) Brunssum to realistically imitate NATO command structure.

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Nordic Arctic defence step forward

Finland and Sweden tighten defence ties with a new Arctic vehicle plan as NATO sharpens its High North focus.
en.highnorthnews.com

Large-scale Air Exercise Led From the North: Demonstrates Ability to Carry Out Complex Operations

Bodø (High North News): “The Combined Air Operations Centre in Bodø is very important for NATO,” emphasises Deputy Commander of the Allied Air Command, Lt. Gen. Guillaume Thomas. He is clear that the centre also strengthens the integration of Sweden and Finland within the Alliance.
en.highnorthnews.com
 

Polish civilians take army training course amid spectre of war with Russia • FRANCE 24 English​

Jun 17, 2026 #Poland #Russia #war
Poland, which is regularly targeted by Russian hybrid attacks, takes the threat of war with Moscow very seriously. The country now spends nearly 5 percent of its GDP on defence, and aims to train its civilians too, so they will know how to react if war breaks out. To this end, it has introduced a programme of one-day training sessions with the army, entitled "Always Ready", which have turned out to be a runaway success. FRANCE 24's Adrien Sarlat and Jan Garstecki joined some of the participants at a session near Warsaw. #Poland #Russia #war

5:41
 

'We have the same challenges, the same neighbour'

Lithuania’s Defence Minister, Robertas Kaunas, travelled to the Norwegian border town of Kirkenes to discuss an expansion of cooperation. 'You have the Kola Peninsula, we have Kaliningrad,' he said after a meeting with Norwegian border guards.
www.thebarentsobserver.com
 

NATO prepares for the battle of the Baltics​

As sunbeams pierce the storm clouds over Latvia’s coastline, the US navy Seabees are building the boat ramps that may one day be needed to counter a Russian invasion.

“Run the tape, fellahs,” cries out Capt Allen Willey, the Seabees’ commanding officer, as his seamen measure up a wire grid inside the ramp. “It’s like a game of hopscotch.”

The veteran of four decades takes a closer look at the precise 11-degree incline of the ramp, used for offloading troops, vessels and military vehicles. His sailors brace for his verdict. Then his hard features break into a boyish smile. “Love it.”

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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...e-of-the-baltics/ar-AA26jNo3?ocid=socialshare
 
British Army Joins Finnish Conscripts — Why Finland Trains Everyone to Fight

Jun 29, 2026 #BritishArmy #NATO #Finland
Britain does not wait to be tested. It trains to be ready.
In May 2026, British soldiers from 3 PARA and 3 Rifles deployed to Vuosanka, Finland — part of Exercise Saber Strike 26, one of the most demanding NATO field training exercises ever conducted in the region. Alongside forces from the United States, Finland, France, Poland, Italy and Hungary, over 5,000 personnel operated across 17,700 hectares of dense Arctic forest to sharpen the skills that matter most: speed, precision, and the ability to fight as one.
For Finnish conscripts, this was their final and most demanding military exercise — a test of everything they have learned in service to their nation. Finland's model of universal military service reflects a society that takes collective defence seriously, building readiness into the fabric of national life. It is a conversation Britain is beginning to have too.
Britain's contribution went beyond presence. 3 Rifles, part of 11 Brigade — the British Army's cutting-edge Tactical Recce Strike formation — deployed Ghost, an autonomous uncrewed aircraft system providing frontline infantry with real-time intelligence and target detection at ranges that were impossible just years ago. These are not autonomous weapons. Every decision remains with the soldier. Technology extends human capability; it does not replace human judgement.
3 PARA operated alongside the Finnish Kainuu Brigade, stress-testing sensors and effectors at range from a remote command post — demonstrating that Britain's forces can integrate, adapt, and deliver alongside any ally, anywhere.
NATO is just not a guarantee. It is a commitment, renewed through action. This is what that action looks like.

10:59
 

Royal Navy Reports 25 Percent Increase in Russian Activity in U.K., North Atlantic Waters​

Russian activity around the U.K. and in the North Atlantic has risen 25 percent in the first half of the year compared to the same time frame in 2025, according to the Royal Navy.

The year-on-year data was included in a Saturday news release, with the Royal Navy attributing the increase to Russian Navy warships escorting sanctioned ships in the region. The data fell within Jan. 1-July 31, 2026, and was compared with Jan. 1-July 31, 2025.

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NATO related

Sailors, Marines Deploy Long-range Missile Systems to Norway for Drills​

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps recently deployed the sea service’s long-range Containerized Launching System and Strike Master Coastal Defense System to Norway as part of Operation Atlantic City 26 and NATO’s Arctic Sentry enhanced Vigilance Activity.

The expeditionary long-range fire systems were deployed to Norwegian city Trondheim and remote island Jan Mayen in the High North, for drills that ran from Aug. 26-Sept. 4.

Imagery released by the Pentagon shows a Containerized Launching System being loaded onto a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft on Aug. 25 and offloaded Aug. 27 at Trondheim, Norway, to participate in Operation Atlantic City 26. The Containerized Launching System is based on Lockheed Martin’s Mk 70 Mod 1 Payload Delivery System, which packs four Mk 41 Vertical Launch System cells into a 40-foot container.

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Finland is preparing for the worst. Is the rest of Europe ready? | DW News

Sep 11, 2026 #dwcurrentaffairs
What would happen if thousands of people had to take shelter underground during a war or major disaster?
Finland is putting that question to the test. DW's Juri Rescheto joins residents, emergency services and volunteers inside a massive civil defense shelter in Kuopio during Shelter 2026, an exercise designed to find out whether an entire community could function underground during a crisis.
Finland has roughly 50,000 civil defense shelters, enough space to protect most of its population. Its preparedness culture has deep historical roots, but Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has given the issue new urgency.
Juri spends the night underground as officials test everything from drinking water and sleeping arrangements to heat, noise and the psychological effects of confinement.
We then speak to retired Colonel and comprehensive security expert Asko Muhonen about how effective Finland's shelters would be in a real conflict, the threat from neighboring Russia and what other European countries can learn from Finland's approach to civil defense.

11:14
 
^
America should take a lesson from this. Instead, the only people who may be safe in an attack are the one's we elect to protect. Kinda ironic, eh?!
 
NATO has been sitting on their ass's ever since 1990 and only now are saying they will increase budgets, even if, for now, all it is is talk. One big problem is manpower and experience. American troops are honed pretty well thru training and constant fighting but as for the rest of NATO this just isn't the case. British and French units have some decent soldiery and gear but the Germans, the biggest economy in Europe, couldn't fight their way out of a balloon. Even worse their ranks are thin because in Germany, and others, a military career just isn't high on the list for most youngins.

The Police I have no worries over. They have been f--ked over so many times in History they will now die with their teeth in the throats of those Reds. But geography just isn't on their side and while they are spending a ton most of it just hasn't arrived yet. The Swedes, Norwegians, and most of all Finns are certainly welcome. Not only are they well armed and game but they coordinate well together. And they have guts. The Spaniards are worthless and probably wouldn't even fight or allow their air space to be used. We'd be better off just kicking them out.

I was in NATO in the late '70s and while we had problems back then we also must have been triple the size. By the late '70s the edge in technology was beginning to make the difference and by the time Regan was done NATO was a power house. The juggernaut that eviscerate Iraq in the desert of Kuwait was actually NATO at its height but now Americans have to ask themselves why should we keep spending so much wealth, and potentially blood, for a Europe that doesn't want to defend itself or pay the bill to do so.
 
NATO related

Arctic Wolves | GUARDING NATO'S BORDER / 70°N

Oct 6, 2026 SØR-VARANGER MUNICIPALITY
At NATO's northernmost border with Russia, Norwegian conscripts endure -40°C, total darkness and weeks of isolation to guard the frontier.
In the High North, soldiers of the Norwegian Army's Jaegerbattalion GSV — known as "The Wolves" — stand watch over the 196km border between Norway and Russia near Kirkenes. At 70 degrees north, they spend up to six weeks at a time in remote watchtowers and cabins, patrolling by ski and snowmobile to monitor activity and deter illegal crossings. Resilience here is essential.
Hear from PVTs Benjamin, Sander, Liv and Amalie on what it means to be NATO's first line of defence, how a wolf pack mentality sustains them without phones and in 24-hour darkness, and why they take pride in safeguarding both Norway and the Alliance.

3:41
 

France chimes in

After Russian Threats, Macron Puts Nuclear Deterrent at the Forefront

The administration of French President Emmanuel Macron is putting new emphasis on France's nuclear deterrent, and specifically on its nuclear ballisti...
maritime-executive.com
 
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