US troops were allegedly humiliated by Finnish NATO comrades during an exercise. Now it turns out that the story is not true – the Finnish army denies it.
02/04/2026, 05:5202/04/2026, 05:52
Bojan Stula / ch media
The story was good. Reservists from the famous Finnish hunter brigade are said to have overrun the participating American professional soldiers in an Arctic maneuver to such an extent that the northern Europeans were asked by the exercise management to “take things a little slower”.
The US soldiers were guided by the Norwegians and Finns in the Arctic exercise.Image: www.imago-images.de
The British Times cited an anonymous military source when it exclusively reported on the incident at the height of the Greenland conflict:
“The Finns had to be ordered to stop beating the Americans because it was becoming embarrassing and demoralizing for them.”
In the middle of the dispute over Greenland, in which the US President makes fun of Danish dog sleds and doubts the island’s European defense capability, Trump’s army is being embarrassed to the bone: That’s the kind of thing people like to read in Europe these days. Similar posts on social networks that made fun of the would-be Arctic warriors from the USA were shared millions of times.
Unfortunately, as it now turns out, the story was too good. Upon request from the US specialist portal The War Zone the Finnish army denies the “Times” account. The hunter brigade involved explains that they neither reduced the pressure nor even acted as an opposing force.
On the contrary: the Finns fought on the same side as the US units during the maneuver. In short: one could not “recognize” the situation that the traditional British newspaper described. An accompanying Canadian military correspondent also said she saw “nothing like that”.
Specifically, it’s about the maneuver Joint Viking 25 in northern Norway, in which over 10,000 soldiers from nine countries took part in March a year ago. The aim of the exercise was to familiarize oneself with the peculiarities of warfare in snow and ice. For example, soldiers in full gear had one minute to free themselves from an ice water hole.
Regardless of the controversial episode, the US military admits that the operation in the Arctic is particularly demanding. Extreme cold, difficult geography and logistical hurdles make even simple activities such as communication, exercise or medical care difficult. That’s exactly why, the US Army said in a statement, Joint Viking 25 was so important: under Norwegian guidance, they were able to learn the basics of Arctic survival and fighting.
For Scandinavian armies, however, such conditions are everyday life. With Finland and Sweden joining NATO, almost all Arctic states now belong to the Western alliance. And no matter what Donald Trump has in store for Greenland, this remains a key strategic advantage in the face of growing tensions with Russia and China’s increasing ambitions in the far north. (aargauerzeitung.ch)