Poland Sends Airborne Troops to Finland

Polish airborne troops conducted a deployment exercise in Finland as part of the Swift Response 25 multinational training.

From May 11 to 31, 2025, NATO allies and partner nations are participating in Swift Response 25, led by the United States.

The exercise features near-simultaneous airborne and mobile aviation operations designed to enhance the Alliance’s collective defense capabilities and readiness.

The program includes five coordinated airborne deployments in Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden. This marks the initial phase of the broader DEFENDER 25 exercises, also conducted under U.S. leadership. These exercises aim to strengthen NATO’s deterrence capabilities and demonstrate the Alliance’s airborne operational readiness.

U.S. paratroopers joined forces with personnel from the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Italy during a joint airborne operation in Lithuania, while Polish troops conducted a similar operation in Finland.

In Norway, the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division led a large-scale airborne assault, marking the official commencement of the DEFENDER 25 exercises.

Finnish forces conducted live-fire drills alongside Polish units, while American troops equipped with HIMARS rocket systems carried out the HIRAIN training exercises in Finland and Sweden.

“This is about global deterrence,” stated General Christopher Donahue, Commander of the U.S. Army in Europe and Africa. “Everything we demonstrate together with our allies and partners, we are capable of replicating anywhere in the world. DEFENDER provides us with critically important experience in large-scale theater logistics and combat operations.”

The coordinated jumps of multinational airborne forces have been made possible through the effective integration of strategic and tactical airlift platforms.

For example, the United Kingdom supports the exercises with A400M aircraft, while the United States contributes C-17 Globemaster III and C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, enabling rapid and efficient execution of multinational airborne operations.

Approximately 25,000 military personnel from 29 NATO member and partner countries participate in the exercises. They have demonstrated NATO’s capability to coordinate complex operations across various domains and regions, thereby strengthening the Alliance’s collective defense posture.

Despite the joint exercises within the NATO framework, Spain remains the last country yet to endorse NATO’s plan to achieve defense spending of 5% of GDP across the entire Alliance by 2032.