NATO boosts northern flank with joint Swedish-Finnish brigade
Photo: NATO strengthens northern flank (Getty Images)
Sweden and Finland have jointly established a new strike brigade comprising 4,000–5,000 servicemen, which is located near Finnish Lapland, according to Iltalehti.
The core of the new formation consists of soldiers from the Swedish mechanized Norrbotten Brigade, which has combat experience in harsh winter conditions. It consists of five battalions and support units.
Weapons and equipment
To speed up the brigade’s combat readiness, weapons were pre-positioned in Lapland. This includes, in particular, Swedish self-propelled howitzers Archer, which can strike targets at distances up to 50 km.
In the event of armed conflict, the new brigade will receive air support — it will be covered by British Eurofighter and F-35 fighter jets, as well as Apache attack helicopters.
Joint forces with Finland
Alongside the new brigade, NATO will permanently deploy 5–7 thousand Finnish servicemen.
Together, these forces numerically match the Russian units deployed in the northern direction.
Defense against Russia
It should be noted that the European Union plans to establish a three-layer system to protect its eastern flank from Russia. This refers to three "walls" — maritime, drone, and land. The project will be implemented in cooperation with Ukraine, taking into account Ukraine's combat experience.
Also, EU countries plan to secure their eastern borders from a possible Russian invasion by creating a kind of water barrier through swamp restoration.
Earlier, the Chief of the General Staff of the French Armed Forces, General Thierry Burkhardt, stated that Russia could become a "real threat" to Europe in five years, considering the pace of rearmament of the aggressor state.
