Breaking News: Finland Hosts Large-Scale Multinational NATO Special Forces Drills Amid Tensions With Russia.

On August 25, 2025, Finland became the stage for a large-scale multinational training exercise, as special operations forces from Europe and the United States began joint drills under the banner of Southern Griffin 25. Running until September 12 and hosted by the Finnish Army’s Utti Jaeger Regiment, the exercise brings together nearly 1,600 personnel in an ambitious display of interoperability across land, sea, air, and freshwater environments. As reported by the Finnish Defence Forces, the event aims to reinforce the Alliance’s ability to conduct combined joint operations in Northern Europe’s demanding conditions, a task that has grown increasingly relevant amid heightened tensions on NATO’s eastern flank.
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Southern Griffin 25 is therefore more than a training event; it is a statement of intent. By combining special operations forces, air assets, and multinational command structures, the exercise illustrates how NATO is adapting its operational practices to the realities of Northern Europe  (Picture source: Finnish Defense Forces)

Southern Griffin 25 represents a critical development in Finland’s role as a frontline NATO member. The drills mobilize NH90 transport helicopters and MD500 light helicopters from the Utti Jaeger Regiment, supported by Finnish Air Force F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets, alongside aircraft and personnel contributed by allied European nations and the United States. These assets will be tasked with transporting troops and materiel, conducting air-ground coordination, and simulating rapid deployment scenarios. Activity will extend across Finland, from southern forests to northern terrains, combining conventional and unconventional manoeuvres designed to stress-test both logistics and command structures. According to Colonel Kimmo Nordberg, commander of the Utti Jaeger Regiment and director of the exercise, the wide geographic scope and joint nature of operations elevate the complexity, providing significant developmental value in command, control, and interoperability.

Operationally, the exercise highlights Finland’s readiness to integrate seamlessly into NATO frameworks while leveraging its own highly specialized capabilities. The Utti Jaeger Regiment, an elite light infantry formation specializing in reconnaissance, rapid deployment, and special operations, has long cultivated multinational training practices. Southern Griffin 25 builds on this foundation, expanding the scale to a truly national level and incorporating not just military units but also various Finnish state agencies. This broad participation underscores Finland’s approach to comprehensive security, ensuring its forces are not only interoperable with NATO but also resilient in coordinating across domestic structures under stress conditions.

The timing and scope of Southern Griffin 25 also carry clear strategic weight when set against the backdrop of Russia’s upcoming Zapad 2025 exercise. While Moscow will showcase its own military integration across Belarus and Western Russia, Finland’s exercise demonstrates the opposite side of the security equation: NATO allies rehearsing rapid reinforcement, long-range logistics, and special operations in terrain that borders Russia’s northwestern military district. The proximity of Southern Griffin 25 to recently reactivated Russian bases and the Arctic region reinforces its geopolitical message. Finland, the Alliance’s newest member, is not only defending its own territory but also serving as a critical northern hub for NATO operations in a strategic environment shaped by competition in the Baltic and Arctic theaters.

Geostrategically, the exercise sends a signal that allied forces can project strength and mobility into regions traditionally considered vulnerable to Russian pressure. By training in Finland’s forests, lakes, and northern latitudes, NATO forces rehearse scenarios directly applicable to potential crisis situations in Northern Europe. This enhances deterrence by demonstrating that the Alliance is not only politically committed but also operationally capable of sustaining complex joint operations close to Russian borders. It also reinforces NATO’s Arctic and sub-Arctic posture, where climate change and new maritime routes are sharpening geopolitical competition. For Finland, the ability to host and integrate 1,600 multinational personnel across its vast terrain is proof of its preparedness to act as both a shield and a staging ground in the broader defense of Europe.

Southern Griffin 25 is therefore more than a training event; it is a statement of intent. By combining special operations forces, air assets, and multinational command structures, the exercise illustrates how NATO is adapting its operational practices to the realities of Northern Europe. It highlights Finland’s transformation from a security consumer to a pivotal security provider, while ensuring that the Alliance can rapidly bring combat-ready forces into one of the most strategically contested regions of the continent.