![Soldier firing a smoke-shell]()
Swedish staff fired a smoke-shell, with the purpose of marking targets in the terrain.
Photo: Felix Sundbäck/Swedish Armed Forces
![Two fighter aircraft]()
Swedish ground units of the Southern Military Region guided UK Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft to strike against ground and sea targets.
Photo: Marcus Nilsson/Swedish Armed Forces
![Fighter aircraft]()
Close Air Support (CAS) is called in when there are ground targets that can be fought with the air force’s automatic cannon.
Photo: Felix Sundbäck/Swedish Armed Forces
![Soldier in the field with a computer]()
The aircraft are guided by the ground units’s Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC), a person that is trained to coordinate airspace as well as to guide air forces to a specific ground target.
Photo: Felix Sundbäck/Swedish Armed Forces
![Soldier in the field with a pair of binoculars]()
Baltic Striker 22 comprised personnel from a Joint Fires Support Team (JFIST) from the 32nd Intelligence battalion.
Photo: Felix Sundbäck/Swedish Armed Forces
This was the first exercise that UK fighter aircraft participated in under Swedish command within the JEF framework.
“Swedish ground units of the Southern Military Region guided UK Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft to strike against ground and sea targets. At the same time, the UK fighter aircraft were protected from air threats by Swedish JAS 39 Gripen”, says Colonel Per Nilsson, Chief of Southern Military Region.
Baltic Striker 22, commanded by the Southern Military Region and Joint Forces Command, is one of several recent operations within the JEF framework. The purpose of the operation was to enhance the interoperability between JEF units. In order to achieve this, people, methods and systems of different nations must work well together to effectively reach the end goal - in this case to strike against a landing operation.
“In this operation, all three were combined and on different levels, from planning to firing, from senior staff to soldier. We are always striving to be better, and operation Baltic Striker 22 demonstrates that we, here and now, can successfully conduct operations together with JEF. Our military capability is reinforced together with others”, says Colonel Per Nilsson.
JEF is a UK framework for a rapid reaction force to be used in crises. In 2017, Sweden joined JEF and is currently one of ten member states. JEF can act on its own in a time of crisis or together with Nato.