The Department of Defense (MoD) said the four-day exercise, Vigilant Fox, involved a combined force of 750 personnel from the three countries. The joint exercise is particularly important considering NATO earlier this month signed an accession protocol with Finland join the Military alliancethe first step in the ratification process.
Finland signed a mutual security declaration with the UK in May and is also a member of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force, a coalition of 10 countries.
The Ministry of Defense said British troops stationed in Estonia as part of the British Army’s Project Unified Stance were flown into Finland with Royal Air Force Chinook helicopters as part of the exercise.
Defense Secretary James Heappey said: “Exercise Vigilant Fox has demonstrated the strength and interoperability of our armed forces with our US and Finnish allies and reaffirms our commitment to the defense and security of the Baltic Sea region.”
Wing Commander Stephen Boyle, the British defense attaché in Helsinki, said: “Our soldiers, sailors and airmen have been warmly received in Finland over the past few months.
Exercise Vigilant Fox is the latest activity in an ongoing series of events across the domains.
“As Finland moves towards full NATO membership, we will continue to look for opportunities like this to show solidarity with Finland, learn from each other and improve our ability to work together.”
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“I am confident that we will be able to protect our interests, the interests of our country, and ensure the safety and security of our citizens by all necessary means.”
On July 19, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday backed Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO, paving the way for the full Senate to vote on what would be the most significant expansion of the 30-member alliance since the 1990s.
The 22-member panel approved the expansion by one vote, with only one member — Republican Senator Rand Paul — asking to be included as “present.”
The accession documents must be ratified by all 30 members before Finland and Sweden can be protected by Article five, the defense clause stating that an attack on one member is an attack on all.
The entire 100-member US Senate is expected to approve Finland and Sweden’s membership by more than the required two-thirds majority.
Senator Bob Menendez, the committee’s Democratic chairman, said before the vote, “They are ideal candidates for membership and will strengthen the alliance in countless ways.
“Finland and Sweden will be excellent allies, strengthening NATO politically and militarily and providing the alliance with new capabilities, especially in the Arctic.”
Ratification by each member is likely to take a year, but in the meantime Helsinki and Stockholm can already participate in NATO meetings and have greater access to intelligence.
The countries applied for membership in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but met opposition from Turkey, which accused the Scandinavian countries of supporting groups it considers terrorists.
Finland, Sweden and Turkey signed an agreement at NATO’s Madrid summit last month to lift the Ankara veto in return for pledges on counter-terrorism and arms exports.
Turkey has said it will closely monitor the implementation of the accord to ratify its membership requests.