The Nordic countries, part of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), will host Exercise Lion in the Arctic, North Atlantic and Baltic regions in 2026.
British Defense Minister John Healey announced this at a joint press conference with his Danish counterpart Troels Lund Poulsen, his words were reported by The Sun newspaper.
“Later this year, JEF's Lion exercise in the Baltic, North Atlantic and Arctic will involve hundreds of military personnel along with ships, aircraft and drones. They will be deployed across the High North to deter threats and bring confidence to our alliance. As always, we will unite to strengthen our security,” Healy said.
The OEC, established in 2014 under British leadership, is a regional defense association comprising 10 Nordic countries: Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Estonia.
Previously, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer attended the OEC conference in Estonia, where he met with leaders of the Baltic countries. During the event, he noted that Ukraine needs all available capabilities of the corps. At the same time, he emphasized that funding has been received but even more money is needed.
