Sweden holds largest military exercise in 25 years

More than 26,000 soldiers from 14 countries are taking part in the largest military exercise in 25 years hosted by Sweden.

“The exercise will be held in the air, at sea and on land in various parts of the country,” the Swedish military said on April 17, adding that it is expected to last until May 11. The exercises will mainly take place in southern and northern Sweden and the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea.

More than 26,000 soldiers from 14 countries will take part in the exercise, mostly NATO members such as the US, UK, France, Germany, Norway, Finland and the Baltic states. This is seen as part of Sweden's efforts to join NATO, the world's largest military alliance.

Swedish soldiers during training in November 2020. Photo: US Army

After the Russia-Ukraine war broke out in late February 2022, Sweden announced the end of decades of neutrality and military non-alignment. Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO in May 2022.

Finland became NATO's 31st member on April 4, but Sweden's bid to join NATO has been met with opposition from Türkiye and Hungary, which have so far shown no signs of backing down to allow Sweden to join the bloc.

Sweden has close ties with NATO after joining the Partnership for Peace program in the 1990s. Experts say that despite being surrounded by NATO member countries, Sweden faces great security risks in the event of a conflict in the region.

According to VNE

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/binh-luan/thuy-dien-to-chuc-tap-tran-lon-nhat-25-nam/247320.htm