HELSINKI (Sputnik) — Finland is preparing for a large-scale military exercise with the United States, Sweden and other allies, its defense minister, Jussi Niinisto, said Friday.
"These drills are set for 2020. We expect a large number of soldiers and reservists from Finland, Sweden, the US and other partner countries," he told the MTV channel.
The minister said the scale of the exercise required three years of preparations. The goal is to practice assisting one another globally, he said, adding "if there’s a crisis we’ll be ready to receive help."
The drills will be similar to those held in Sweden last September. The Aurora exercise involved some 20,000 soldiers from Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Lithuania, Norway and the United States.
