Finland to participate in the NATO Crisis Management Exercise 2015

Finland, as a partner country, will participate in the NATO Crisis Management Exercise 2015 (CMX15) on 4-10 March. CMX is NATO’s regularly-held decision-making and consultation exercise that is open for NATO partner countries for the sixth time. Finland also took part in the previous crisis management exercises open to partner countries, which were held in 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Partner countries Finland, Sweden, Australia, Japan and Ukraine will participate in this year’s exercise in addition to NATO allies. Besides NATO Headquarters and the NATO strategic-level military staffs, civilian and military staffs in national capitals will take part in the exercise. Participants from Finland include the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Mission of Finland to NATO in Brussels, the Ministry of Defence, the Defence Command, the Prime Minister’s Office, and other authorities as needed. CMX exercises do not involve deployed forces or real-life rescue or other activities.

In the fictitious scenario a crisis develops between two fictitious states at distance from NATO territory. The scenario will have a humanitarian and maritime security dimension. The exercise will focus on NATO action during the first stages of the developing international crisis. Finland’s objective is to practise participation of partner countries in the planning of NATO crisis management as well as national procedures and decision-making mechanisms.

Further information: Juha Mustonen, Unit for Security Policy and Crisis Management, Political Department of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 295 350 711 and NATO Press and Media Service, tel. +32 2 707 5041.