Dynamic Front 25 takes place in Rovaniemi, Finland, from November 4 to 24. The purpose of the exercises is multifaceted, including the opportunity to refine combat skills in Arctic conditions, develop, practice, and enhance tactical strategies, and rehearse “interoperability in multiple domains,” reported Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. And while it is routine for NATO to conduct military drills with its allies, some have interpreted the timing and location of Dynamic Front 25 as a not-so-subtle message to NATO foe Russia. 

“The message that we’re sending upfront is that when we train together, we’re much stronger together, and we’re here to reassure our partners and allies that we can deploy to tough and demanding environments, train in any conditions, organize ourselves in multiple configurations because we have so much in common; we are interoperable because we have the same values and believe in the same things,” said Maj. Gen. John L. Rafferty, commander of the 56th Artillery Command.

The rehearsal reportedly involved more than 5,000 soldiers from Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey. Estonia, Germany, Poland, and Romania have been chosen to host other drills associated with Dynamic Front 25, DVIDS reported.  

“These NATO exercises are increasingly intended to show other countries, in this case especially Russia of course, that the alliance is united and is capable of defending its members,” said Joel Linnainmaki, Finnish Institute of International Affairs researcher.

Rafferty expressed the importance of such drills in preparation for future conflicts. Dynamic Front 25 provides invaluable experience by practicing in simulated real-life conditions and scenarios. 

“The central idea of Dynamic Front is to ensure that we engage targets with the most effective and most efficient engagement method,” Rafferty said. “We do this with a nonlethal, engagement training method, which we use in all training exercises. The lessons we’re observing are about how we need to employ our artillery forces, use them, protect them in ways that are very important, and transform our headquarters into a multi-domain headquarters.”

“We created a realistic and challenging scenario that challenged each of the headquarters that has been participating in the exercise and through the standard NATO procedures, and they were able to train through repetition in difficult conditions and then achieve success through live fire,” Rafferty added.

Finland is a newcomer to the NATO alliance. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Finland, along with fellow Nordic country Sweden, applied to join NATO in May 2022. After a relatively swift ratification process, Finland officially became a NATO member in April 2023. It was a move that angered Russia. Dynamic Front 25 was Finland’s first time hosting a NATO military exercise of this magnitude, which reportedly spanned from the Black Sea to the Arctic Circle. Dynamic Front 25 was Finland’s debut as “NATO Multi Corps Land Component Command under NATO’s warfighting structure.”

“It’s a great opportunity for the Finnish Army to host this Dynamic Front exercise, testing our capabilities, interoperability, and readiness to conduct live fires in demanding Nordic conditions,” said Lt. Gen. Pasi Välimäki, commander of the Finnish Army. “This exercise also shows Finland’s swift ability to receive reinforcements from our allies and our readiness to command and control multinational forces, directly contributing to our readiness to defend the alliance.”

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Finland President Alexander Stubbs was aware of the significance of the event. The drills’ location and proximity to Russia were not lost on him. He celebrated Dynamic Front 25 as an achievement for his country and recognized it as an opportunity to show Finland was a “security provider” in international politics. 

“Given that Finland borders with Russia, it was very important for us to show that we are a security provider rather than a security consumer,” Stubbs said. “So for us, it’s very important to integrate with NATO, and within that, it’s important that we work with bigger armed forces such as the United States and the United Kingdom, and that we’re able to provide a platform and a training environment to which troops are not that accustomed to. I think it’s great to have you guys here; together, we’re stronger.”