Int'l mechanized infantry drill begins in Finland

U.S. and Norwegian units participated in the Finnish military maneuver Arrow 17, which began on Tuesday in central western Finland.

The Finnish Defense Command said the two-week-long exercise aims to enhance the capability of mechanized units in offensive combat. The Command said some 2,200 Finnish soldiers and 130 unspecified armored vehicles are taking part in the exercise.

Foreign troops include a U.S. Army infantry company of 125 soldiers equipped with armored Stryker personnel carriers and a Norwegian mechanized platoon of 50 soldiers with CV90 infantry fighting vehicles.

An instruction on armour tactics attended by soldiers from Sweden, Denmark, and Estonia, will also be held around a Finnish military base at Niinisalo, southwestern Finland.

Such type of Finnish mechanised exercises have been open to international input since 2014.