Norwegian and Finnish soldiers train together in Lapland this week
By Hannah Thule
The RYSKE military exercise ends on Friday, July 26.
This week the military exercise RYSKE will occur in the forests of Finnish Inari municipality, more specifically in the Kaamanen-Näätämö area.
Näätämö is located only two kilometres from the Finnish-Norwegian border in the north-east.
The road between Kaamanen and Näätämö is used when driving from the direction of Inari towards Kirkenes.
Participants from the Finnish Jaeger Brigade’s readiness unit and Norwegian Armed Forces convened for the exercise, resulting in a total strength of approximately 250 personnel and 25 vehicles.
The biannual exercise aims to measure the skills and readiness of conscripts and service personnel.
“RYSKE stands for the first more demanding exercise during the readiness phase of the readiness unit. This exercise will develop the unit’s capability for operating in terrain that differs from the usual. The Finnish Defence Forces, and the readiness unit in particular, must be capable of operating across the extensive regional area of Lapland”, says Colonel Ari Mure who is the Exercise Director and Deputy Commander of the Jaeger Brigade.
The exercise started on Monday, July 22, and ends on Friday, July 26.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada : Canadian military says it has tracked, stopped China surveillance in Arctic waters, The Canadian Press
Finland: Russian cyber attacks, espionage pose growing threat to Finnish national security, Yle news
Iceland: Iceland authorizes U.S. submarine service visits, Eye on the Arct
Norway: Russian jamming disrupting GPS signals for Norwegian aviation almost daily, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Kremlin: Russia-China Arctic cooperation not aimed at anyone despite Pentagon concern, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Swedes must mentally prepare for war, says military top brass, Radio Sweden
United States: Growing cooperation between Russia and China in Arctic, Pentagon says, Eye on the Arctic
