Synopsis
Finland has hosted several international exercises both on land and in the air as the country adapts to its status as a NATO member. Exercises Lightning Strike and Northern Forest took place at the Rovajärvi exercise area in northern Finland. The exercises develop joint fire and combat operations between Finnish Defence Forces, Allied forces, and Sweden. The total number of participating troops is approximately 8,000, with 7,000 from Finland and 1,000 from other NATO countries and Sweden.
Meanwhile, nearby in Rovaniemi Air Base, Finland hosted part of exercise Arctic Challenge, one of Europe’s largest air exercises. Featuring Mirage and Rafale aircraft from France and Eurofighters from Germany as well as Finnish F/A-18 Hornets, the exercise helps NATO Allies improve the interoperability of their air assets.
Footage includes various shots of Finnish artillery units firing Howitzers, Finnish Defence Forces conducting live-fire exercises, Finnish and US planners working together, and aircraft from France, Germany and Finland conducting exercises at Rovaniemi Air Base.
Transcript
---SHOTLIST—
(00:00) VARIOUS SHOTS – FINNISH ARTILLERY UNITS FIRE HOWITZERS AT ROVAJÄRVI EXERCISE AREA IN NORTHERN FINLAND
(00:44) VARIOUS SLOW MOTION SHOTS (MUTE) - FINNISH ARTILLERY UNITS FIRE HOWITZERS AT ROVAJÄRVI EXERCISE AREA IN NORTHERN FINLAND
(01:30) VARIOUS SHOTS – FINNISH ARTILLERY UNIT PREPARES AMMUNITION AND HOWITZER ARTILLERY WEAPON TO FIRE DURING EXERCISE LIGHTNING STRIKE
(01:56) VARIOUS SHOTS – FINNISH CONSCRIPTS PREPARE TO ENGAGE IN LIVE-FIRE EXERCISE DURING EXERCISE LIGHTNING STRIKE
(02:35) VARIOUS SHOTS – FINNISH CONSCRIPTS FIRING WEAPONS DURING EXERCISE LIGHTNING STRIKE
(02:54) VARIOUS SLOW MOTION SHOTS (MUTE) – FINNISH CONSCRIPTS FIRING WEAPONS DURING LIVE-FIRE TRAINING EXERCISE
(03:21) VARIOUS SHOTS – MILITARY PLANNERS FROM FINLAND AND THE UNITED STATES PLAN THE NEXT STAGES OF THE EXERCISE
(03:41) CLOSE UP SLOW MOTION SHOT (MUTE) – FINNISH BADGES ON SHOULDER OF MILITARY PLANNER
(03:51) VARIOUS SHOTS – FINNISH AIRCRAFT MECHANICS PREPARE FINNISH F/A-18 HORNET AIRCRAFT FOR FLIGHT DURING EXERCISE ARCTIC CHALLENGE
(04:03) MID SHOT – FINNISH F/A-18 AIRCRAFT TAXIING AT ROVANIEMI AIR BASE
(04:12) VARIOUS SLOW MOTION SHOTS (MUTE) – FINNISH F/A-18 AIRCRAFT TAXIING, TAKING OFF AND LANDING AT ROVANIEMI AIR BASE
(04:40) CLOSE UP SLOW MOTION SHOTS (MUTE) – FINNISH PILOT GIVES THUMBS UP AND WALKS AWAY FROM AIRCRAFT
(04:55) VARIOUS SLOW MOTION SHOTS (MUTE) – BADGES ON SHOULDERS OF FINNISH AIRMEN
(05:10) VARIOUS SHOTS – GERMAN EUROFIGHTER AIRCRAFT TAXIING AT ROVANIEMI AIR BASE
(05:25) VARIOUS SLOW MOTION SHOTS (MUTE) – FINNISH AIRCREW DIRECTING GERMAN EUROFIGHTERS
(05:38) VARIOUS SLOW MOTION SHOTS (MUTE) – GERMAN EUROFIGHTERS TAKING OFF AND IN FLIGHT
(06:06) MID SHOT – FRENCH MIRAGE AIRCRAFT TAXIING AT ROVANIEMI AIR BASE
(06:14) MID SHOT – FRENCH RAFALE AIRCRAFT TAXIING AT ROVANIEMI AIR BASE
(06:22) WIDE SHOT – FRENCH MIRAGE AIRCRAFT TAKES OFF FROM ROVANIEMI AIR BASE
(06:29) VARIOUS SLOW MOTION SHOTS (MUTE) – FRENCH MIRAGE AND RAFALE AIRCRAFT TAKING OFF, IN FLIGHT AND TAXIING
(07:13) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – BRIGADIER GENERAL MANU TUOMINEN, COMMANDER OF KAINUU BRIGADE, FINNISH DEFENCE FORCES
“There is a lot of international interest to what we’re doing and some interest for NATO Allies to come and exercise with us and we welcome them of course and try to integrate them into our operations and our exercises as well.”
(07:29) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – CAPTAIN KURT ROSSI, BATTERY COMMANDER, BRAVO BATTERY 1-6, FIELD ARTILLERY REGIMENT, US ARMY
“So once Finland joined NATO, there’s a big push for them to be ASCA (Artillery Systems Cooperation Activities) members, to be able to coordinate their fire control systems and communicate with all the other NATO members’ fire control systems. So this was a great testing opportunity for us and the Finns with ASCA. They were able to send us all of their fire missions from their forward observers straight to my battery operations centre and then down to my launchers.”
(07:55) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – CAPTAIN KURT ROSSI, BATTERY COMMANDER, BRAVO BATTERY 1-6, FIELD ARTILLERY REGIMENT, US ARMY
“They definitely had a great foundation already built and then so once they joined NATO, it was a pretty seamless transition for us to be able to integrate with them, utilising ASCA, utilising other means to be able to have our systems communicate with each other and then cooperate and train together.”
(08:14) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – COLONEL JANNE MÄKITALO, CHIEF OF ARMY ACADEMY, FINLAND
“The main essence of our defence system and the extra value for NATO is concerning our army and capabilities to fight a long-lasting warfare in deep, deep area. Many of the NATO countries don’t necessarily have this kind of capability but we do have.”
(08:36) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – COLONEL JANNE MÄKITALO, CHIEF OF ARMY ACADEMY, FINLAND
“Now I think it was a really important thing that we have this additional security guarantee which NATO presents and it’s not a one-sided thing that we are gaining, we are also providing. I think Finnish joining to NATO increases the safety and security in Europe and especially in the Baltic Sea region.”
(09:04) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – LIEUTENANT COLONEL JAAKKO SALOMÄKI ‘AVARELL’, CHIEF OF OPERATIONS, LAPLAND AIR COMMAND
“We’ve been doing this for years already. It’s about joint air operations and behind that there are many things including the interoperability and connectivity and things like that. It’s about doing the same thing in the same way to be effective together.
(09:24) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – LIEUTENANT COLONEL JAAKKO SALOMÄKI ‘AVARELL’, CHIEF OF OPERATIONS, LAPLAND AIR COMMAND
“The more we train and plan together the stronger we get, so we are really proud to be part of the NATO and glad to have partners training here together with us. For example in this air combat Arctic Challenge exercise.”
