The exercise takes place between November 22 and December 2 in the Gulf of Finland and the adjacent archipelago, according to a press release on the Swedish Armed Forces’ website.
The exercise, Freezing Winds, is the Finnish Navy’s annual autumn exercise and several ships from NATO’s standing forces in the Baltic Sea are participating. A total of 23 ships and upwards of 5,000 people are included. The purpose is to train together for joint operations in the Baltic Sea.
Now the Swedish corvettes HMS Helsingborg, HMS Härnösand and HMS Gävle from the Fourth Naval Battle Flotilla have joined.
“The exercise gives us a good opportunity to practice qualified naval target combat together with Finland and NATO. The exercise makes us better at our main task at the same time as it strengthens the stability and security in our immediate area,” says Anders Bäckström, head of the naval battle flotilla, in the press release.
In addition, there are Swedish personnel on board the Finnish minesweeper Uusima.
For many years, Sweden and Finland have worked closely together for security in the immediate area, and the countries have now also jointly applied for membership in NATO.