04 Mar 24. Poised for accession, Sweden joins NATO drills in reshaped north. Swedish armed forces joined NATO for exercises on Monday, contributing troops, helicopters and fighter jets as the alliance carries out its largest set of military drills since the end of the Cold War.
Sweden is poised to join NATO, possibly within days, after gaining the final outstanding ratification last week.
The exercises – involving over 20,000 troops from more than a dozen countries – are taking place in a high north being transformed by the accession of Sweden and Finland, who turned their backs on long histories of non-alignment after Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago.
In Bodoe in northern Norway, U.S. and Norwegian F-35s joined Finnish F-18s and Swedish Gripen fighter jets flying low across the sky above Camp Bodin military base, part of a first test of a joint Nordic air operations centre, a key part of the drills.
“The new concept now is that we try to integrate even further and that is possible because of the new NATO membership of Finland and the Swedish NATO membership shortly to come,” said Major General Rolf Folland, Norwegian Air Force Chief and head of the new centre.
“Then the last hindrance for total integration is taken away and that makes it possible for us to be able to work as one air power in peacetime, crisis and war.”
More than 300 officers and specialists are working to coordinate and control the aircraft taking part in the exercises, about half of them temporarily operating from Camp Bodin.
The drills in the far north of Norway, Sweden and Finland are part of the alliance’s overarching Steadfast Defender 2024 exercises rehearsing how U.S. troops could reinforce European allies on NATO’s eastern flank and put new regional defence plans to the test.
About 90,000 troops are due to join the wider NATO exercises running through May that include more than 50 ships as well as planes, tanks and other armoured vehicles.
NORDIC FLEET
Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark agreed last year to begin creating a unified Nordic air defence aimed at countering the rising threat from Russia.
Integrating the Nordic air forces will create a regional fleet of around 250 fighters, on par with that of a military power such as Britain, offering credible deterrence against would-be attackers.
“This is going to be a massive contribution in terms of air power and control of the skies over the entire Baltic, Nordic, high north region,” said William Alberque at International Institute for Strategic Studies, a leading research center.
Sweden, which has not been at war in two centuries, has edged ever closer to NATO in recent decades – in part because its own military was scaled back after the Soviet Union’s collapse – taking part in missions in places such as Libya.
“We have a lot of strengths when it comes to operating and connecting our systems together and we can bring that to the Nordic nations and to NATO,” said Major General Jonas Wikman, chief of the Swedish Air Force.
Among Sweden’s strengths are a fleet of Gripens, a rugged fighter that can be readied for new missions minutes after landing and operate from small temporary air strips, a capability generating interest among allies.
“Right now, both NATO and the U.S. are looking quite a bit at Sweden and Finland,” Colonel Peter Greberg, commander of the Swedish Air Force’s 21st wing, said on the sidelines of a demonstration of the jet in Lulea, in northern Sweden.
“I had a NATO general here last week who visited us precisely to look at this concept.”
Sweden’s armed forces may well face the prospect of joining NATO before the current exercises are actually over. “I have a bottle of champagne ready to pop whenever the membership is granted,” Norwegian Air Force chief Folland said. (Source: Reuters)
04 Mar 24. US prepares for future threats with $26bn annual investment in simulation.
GlobalData forecasts spending up to 2028 amid the evolving geopolitical landscape.
The US is gearing up for a surge in military simulation and training spending, with forecasts indicating an annual expenditure exceeding $26bn up to 2028.
This initiative is driven by a commitment to enhance military readiness and response capabilities.
Contrary to the traditional focus on combat hardware, this investment emphasises the importance of personnel preparedness and adaptability in the face of evolving geopolitical challenges. The allocation of resources into training systems is a strategic move to navigate the complexities of modern warfare.
According to GlobalData’s latest report, titled “United States (US) Defense Market Size, Trends, Budget Allocation, Regulations, Acquisitions, Competitive Landscape, and Forecast to 2028,” the US military is directing funds towards optimising training systems across air, land, and sea domains. This investment, totaling an estimated $159bn between 2023 and 2028, highlights a shift towards holistic readiness enhancement.
Fox Walker, a defence analyst at GlobalData, emphasises the significance of this investment, stating, “Military simulation and training is the largest sector of the US defence market. The US plans to spend at least $26bn annually, highlighting the Department of Defense’s commitment to building up combat readiness within the armed forces. (Source: army-technology.com)
18 Feb 24. Australia will continue to deepen its relationships with India and like-minded regional partners this month by participating in Exercise MILAN 24. Hosted by India from 19-27 February in the port city of Visakhapatnam and the adjacent Bay of Bengal, Exercise MILAN 24 will bring together approximately 50 nations and around 20 international vessels and aircraft from across the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
Exercise MILAN 24 is a key element in the Australian Defence Force’s first regional presence deployment for 2024 and the first large-scale multilateral exercise on the Navy’s calendar for the year. The Australian Defence Force will be represented by the Commander of the Australian Fleet, Rear Admiral Chris Smith, AM, CSM, RAN, and HMAS Warramunga, with an embarked MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, which is currently conducting an Indo-Pacific regional presence deployment.
Pursuing the theme ‘Camaraderie, Cohesion, Collaboration’, Exercise MILAN 24 will feature a six-day harbour phase offering knowledge sharing, leadership engagement and a table top exercise along with a street parade and cultural exchanges. The four-day sea phase will comprise advanced maritime training including anti-submarine, anti-surface and anti-air warfare exercises along with large force maritime manoeuvres.
Australia’s Joint Force Maritime Component Commander, Commodore Jonathan Ley, said the exercise was important for building international relationships, professional development and for Warramunga’s crew to practise operating at sea as part of a large multilateral fleet.
“Exercise MILAN is an important biennial training activity for the Indo-Pacific region and valuable for advancing Australia’s place as an Indian Ocean neighbour,” Commodore Ley said.
“Our participation in Exercise MILAN 24 will help deepen Australia’s navy-to-navy relationship with India, provide opportunities for naval leaders to contemplate shared security challenges and enhance mutual understanding among the navies of like-minded nations.
“I am very grateful to the Indian Navy for the opportunity to again join the growing number of participants in 2024.”
MILAN 24 will be the twelfth edition of India’s biennial flagship exercise, which began with just four nations in 1995. Australia has been a participant since 2003. Australia’s participation in Exercise MILAN 2024 follows its hosting of Indian-owned Exercise Malabar for the first time in 2023, which drew together naval forces from India, Japan, the United States and Australia for exercises in Sydney and the seas off the NSW coast.
HMAS Warramunga departed for its current three-month regional presence deployment in late January and will participate in several exercises, cooperative activities and joint patrols with partner navies along with regional port visits. (Source: www.joint-forces.com)
19 Feb 24. Training Proves Ship is Ready for Anything. Before HMAS Warramunga commenced Australia’s first 2024 Indo-Pacific regional presence deployment, Commanding Officer Commander Jennifer Graham put her crew through rigorous training to ensure they were ‘fully mission capable’.
Training began in earnest soon after the Anzac-class frigate sailed from its home port of Fleet Base East, Sydney, in late January, and continued while traversing heavy seas in the Great Australian Bight. After a logistics visit to Fleet Base West in HMAS Stirling provided a brief reprieve, the ship’s company was further tested in Navy’s Western Australian Exercise Area in the Indian Ocean off the Western Australian coast.
Training covered all aspects of modern warship operations, from core maritime skills such as navigation, manoeuvring, man-overboard drills and small-boat operations using the ship’s two rigid hull inflatable boats, through to helicopter operations, underway replenishment, firefighting, damage control, small-arms practice, engineering incident response and warfare drills at ‘action stations’ – the ship’s highest state of alert.
After months of training and pre-departure preparations, Commander Graham said she was confident in her crew’s abilities and readiness. “Having enjoyed the Christmas and New Year break before we departed, the transit around Australia provided an ideal opportunity to bring the team back up to speed and prepare for the deployment ahead,” Commander Graham said.
Commander Graham said the crew enjoyed the chance to train with sister ship, HMAS Stuart, as it returned to sea for the first time since completing the Anzac Midlife Capability Assurance Program. “Regardless of the mission, whenever an Australian warship leaves Australian waters it must be mission capable and ready for anything … and Warramunga certainly is,” Commander Graham said.
And the hard work has already been paying off. Since commencing the regional presence deployment, Warramunga has operated in company with United States Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force warships in the South China Sea, visited Singapore and is preparing for further engagements with regional partners in a range of maritime warfare exercises and cooperative activities.
Regional presence deployments demonstrate Australia’s commitment to, and engagement with, the region. The deployments play a vital role in Australia’s long-term security and prosperity by protecting Australia’s interests, preserving a rules-based order, enhancing cooperation and relationships with regional partners and allies, and developing capability and interoperability. The current regional presence deployment will be completed in late April. (Source: www.joint-forcescom)
————————————————————————