A Finnish Soldier looks at a tablet during preparations for a demonstration of the dropping of a joint direct attack munition bomb from a Finnish Air Force F/A-18 Fighter Jet near Rovaniemi, Finland, May 23, 2024. This demonstration was part of Defender Europe 2024. Defender Europe seeks to demonstrate U.S. Army Europe’s ability to quickly aggregate combat power in Eastern Europe.



DEFENDER is the Dynamic Employment of Forces to Europe for NATO Deterrence and Enhanced Readiness, and is a U.S. European Command scheduled, U.S. Army Europe and Africa conducted exercise that consists of Saber Strike, Immediate Response, and Swift Response. DEFENDER 24 is linked to NATO’s Steadfast Defender exercise, and DoD’s Large Scale Global Exercise, taking place from 28 March to 31 May. DEFENDER 24 is the largest U.S. Army exercise in Europe and includes more than 17,000 U.S. and 23,000 multinational service members from more than 20 Allied and partner nations, including Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Staff Sgt. Ian Valley)

A 23-year-old conscript serving with Finland’s Kainuu Brigade has been convicted of two counts of desertion after spending a combined 574 days absent without permission. He initially failed to return from leave on 3 April 2024 and remained away for 448 days, until police detained him on 25 June 2025 and returned him to the brigade the following evening. His return proved exceptionally short-lived: after being granted leave again, he failed to report back on 29 June and remained absent for another 126 days, before police arrested and returned him in November.

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