Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the North has been experiencing changing power-dynamics and has become a major hotspot in Europe amid growing tensions between Russia and the rest of Europe. Held every two years, the Arctic Challenge Exercise (ACE) serves as a tool to deter Russian aggression and improve national defence systems, which this year will take place between 1 April–30 June, 2025.
Russia has long been militarizing the region, modernizing and expanding through a combination of bases, airfields, and large-scale radar system, as well as defensive and offensive weaponry. With Sweden abandoning 200 years of neutrality, along with Finland joining NATO they have contributed to expanding the NATO-Russian frontier by 1300 km marking a strategic shift in Northern Europe and the Arctic region. Russia in response to the NATO expansion has heightened its intelligence operations, including the use of drones for surveillance, cyber-attacks, and disinformation campaigns, which are part of a broader strategy of sabotage to weaken the region.
Where does ACE fit within NORDEFCO and NATO?
Established in 2009, the Nordic Defense Cooperation (NORDEFCO) was established among the Nordic states of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland. The defense cooperation was created to conduct joint military exercises, intelligence sharing and defense production under three main pillars: strategic coordination; capabilities development; and operations & training. Within the operations and training sector one of its biggest joint military program was born, the Arctic Challenge Exercise.
Arctic Challenge Exercise is considered to be Europe’s largest aerial battlespace in terms of its territorial, operational and multinational composition, bringing together Nordic states – with the exception of Iceland – to train in extreme Arctic conditions, while preparing pilots for real-world combat scenarios in extreme conditions. Even though it operates within NORDEFCO’s framework it now welcomes nations beyond the Nordic states, closely working with NATO members and aligning itself to NATO and EU standards at the same time. It aims to strengthen the participants’ national defence; increase operational effectiveness; improve resource allocation and identify efficiencies through increased cooperation. By demonstrating multinational, cross-border military strength it aims to deter Russian activity within the region and ensures increased readiness in case of potential escalation.
The Arctic Challenge Exercise in practice
The 2023 Arctic Challenge Exercise, led by Finland marked a significant event for European nations since the last time in 2021 Russia had not yet invaded Ukraine. It hosted around 3000 troops, 150 aircrafts and welcomed overall 14 nations including Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Czechia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Canada, the United States.
Throughout the actual air combat drills, forces are organized into groups where some play the allies and some play the enemies, known as the Red vs Blue training style. This approach allows trainees to experience both the attacker and the defender side. Threat simulation is applied to make scenarios even more realistic, which may be aerial- or ground-based simulation. Aerial is where actual aircrafts (threat emitters who pretend to be the enemies) send out a signal that is when received by another aircraft being trained will be perceived as a hostile aircraft, allowing them to fight the ”enemy”. Surface-to-air missiles are deployed on the ground, which seek to detect and target aircrafts, forcing them to combat or neutralize threats. Simulation monitors how well aircrafts can respond to threats, after which pilots analyze and review their performance. The main focus is on striking through an enemy’s own air defense and take out targets to eliminate the aggressor’s ability to attack. Operations are carried out in the Northern part of the aerial space, overland, which provides an opportunity for states like the UK to practice in a different environment than usual and prepare for differing scenarios. Key bases include the Bodø Air Base in Norway, Luleå Kallax Air Base in Sweden, and Rovaniemi Air Base in Finland.
With NORDEFCO giving the green light for multiple nations to participate, the exercise becomes even more effective since each state brings something unique and different to the table with their differing equipments, defense systems and tactics. This allows them not only to adapt but to integrate these technologies into their own security systems.
The Arctic Challenge Exercise’s rotating host system will now expect Sweden to host the upcoming air combat drill in just a few days time, yet details have been extremely limited and unavailable on its participants and framework. But what we can possibly expect is an even more intensified cooperation due to growing regional tensions.
Having said that, the concept of security is rather tricky to interpret as its understanding may differ person by person, state by state. Achieving a sense of security does not specifically mean the same thing for everyone, and there’s a wide range of factors which could influence one’s perception of security. States tend to carry out military exercises and operations through which they showcase their strength, seek security and deterrence, however others may perceive that as a threat to their security, which will most definitely motivate others to adopt similar measures…But do these actions actually enhance security or simply create higher tension for the situation to potentially escalate? Regardless of the answer, the current geopolitical environment motivates states now more than ever to cooperate and step up their defense capabilities.
Sources:
SHAPE | National Exercises and Activities
Exercise Arctic Challenge | Royal Air Force
RAF joins US & other allies for training in Europe’s BIGGEST aerial battlespace
From Ukraine to the Arctic: Russia’s Capabilities in the Region and the War’s Impact on the North