NATO holds its first artillery drills in Finland since joining alliance

Several thousand NATO troops took part in large-scale artillery drills in Finland for the first time since the country joined the military transatlantic alliance.

More than 3,600 soldiers and around 1,000 military vehicles took part in NATO's largest Dynamic Front artillery exercise in Finland's Arctic, less than 100 kilometres away from the Russian border.

"We're here to reassure our partners and allies that we can deploy to tough and demanding environments, train in any conditions, organise ourselves as allies and partners in multiple configurations," said John Rafferty, Commanding General of the US 56th Artillery Command, adding that the drills are not held in response to anything.

The exercise aims to train interoperability at one of the largest firing ranges in Europe measuring more than 1,200 square kilometres in cold weather conditions.

Alexander Siren, who works as a liaison officer for the UK artillery unit at the drills, says Finnish soldiers can provide allies with the expertise on how to operate in sub-zero conditions under the snow, adding that allied nations "get a lot from this and how they can operate."