The Chief of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters, Ingrid Gjerde and Major General Michael Cherinet from the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters, visited Finland

Lieutenant General Ingrid Gjerde, Chief of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters, and Major General Michael Cherinet, Head of the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters’ Directorate of Capability and Finance, visited Rovaniemi for the Nordic Response 24 exercise on 11 March 2024. Major General Cherinet replaced the Chief of the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters, Lieutenant General Michael Claesson, who at the same time was present at Sweden's NATO membership ceremonies. Host during the exercise was the Chief of the Defence Command, Lieutenant General Vesa Virtanen.

In addition to familiarising with the Nordic Response 24 exercise, the programme included a status report on the current security situation, a discussion on the experiences gained from the exercises to develop joint operational capability, and a discussion on key issues in defence cooperation between Finland, Sweden and Norway. 

According to the Chief of the Defence Command, Lieutenant General Vesa Virtanen, the Nordic Response 24 exercise shows that the interoperability of the Allies has developed: 

– I congratulate Sweden on its NATO membership! Nordic Response 24 is the most important training event of the year for the Swedish Armed Forces and for the entire NATO Northern Defence. It has been great to see how far our compatibility with our allies has come. This exercise allows us to ensure that we can work together within as realistic a situational framework as possible. So far, the exercise troops have performed their duties commendably. I wish the exercise troops a fruitful and safe continuation of the exercise and thank my close colleagues for the discussions during the visit.

Lieutenant General Gjerde is grateful to visit Nordic Response 24:  

– I am grateful for this historic opportunity to visit Nordic Response 24 in Finland together with our two new NATO-allies, Sweden and Finland. Interesting program and good discussions. Together we make NATO stronger.

Major General Cherinet highlights the new dimensions of Nordic cooperation:  

– First visit as a member! Great opportunity to continue exploration of new possibilities for Nordic cooperation in order to strengthen the alliance! Now we are NATO.