Finland will participate in the multinational Joint Protector 21 command-post exercise in Älvdalen, Sweden from 12 to 26 September. The exercise will be hosted by Sweden and led by the United Kingdom.
Participating in Joint Protector 21 is a part of Finland’s multilateral military Joint Expeditionary Force defence cooperation led by the United Kingdom.
From the Finnish Defence Forces, 14 staff officers from the Defence Command, establishments subordinate to the Defence Command, the Air Force and the National Defence University will participate in the Joint Protector 21 exercise. The aim of Joint Protector 21 is to enhance multilateral operational command-post cooperation between JEF countries.
The European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats operating in Helsinki will also take part in the exercise, bringing international competence in countering hybrid threats to the exercise.
The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) is a coalition of ten countries - Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom, which leads as the main framework nation. Finland joined the JEF in 2017. The defence ministers of the JEF countries provided political guidelines for the activities in June 2021.
The objective of the cooperation is to enhance the participant countries’ readiness, prevent various types of crises, and, if necessary, operate collectively in crisis situations. The main operating environment of the JEF is Northern Europe.
In December 2020, the Ministry of Defence confirmed the Joint Protector 21 exercise to be included in the Defence Forces’ international exercise activities in 2021.
