The Swedish-led exercise Aurora 26 is under way. The exercise brings together a total of 18,000 soldiers from 13 different countries and is being conducted across large parts of Sweden between 27 April and 13 May. Among the participants are Ukrainian drone operators, who are taking part alongside the UAS Centre (Unmanned Aerial Systems Centre). This was announced by the Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten) in several press releases throughout the day.

Allied soldiers began arriving in Sweden as early as last week, and on Monday the exercise was officially launched. According to the Swedish Armed Forces, Aurora 26 is intended to strengthen Sweden's defence capability in cooperation with allies, as well as to practise responding to a rapidly emerging and serious military threat. The authority further states that Aurora 26 differs from previous exercises of the same name.

"The biggest difference from previous Aurora exercises is that it is now our new operational plans as an ally that are being exercised. A large part of the execution will therefore concern host nation support. In previous Aurora exercises, the focus was on practising Sweden's invasion defence. Now we are exercising the defence of the alliance," says Rear Admiral Jonas Wikström, exercise director for Aurora 26, in a press release.

In Sweden's role regarding host nation support, a central focus will be on logistics and on carrying out the transport of military capabilities to and from the country.

"One example of host nation support is when units from the United States arrive from North America via Norway. In the exercise, units from the US Marine Corps arrive and travel to the Swedish border. There we practise how to carry out a border crossing, with everything that entails in terms of permits and coordination with customs and police, in a smooth manner. The Americans will then pass through Sweden to the location where they are to conduct the actual exercise," says Rear Admiral Jonas Wikström.

The Swedish Armed Forces further states that this year's exercise centres on responding to a serious military threat from the east.

"In our immediate region, it is Russia that constitutes the defining threat. It is Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine that has placed us in the worst security situation since the Second World War, and it is the threat from Russia that requires us to increase our defence capability," says Rear Admiral Jonas Wikström.

Also present during the exercise are Ukrainian drone operators, and at the UAS Centre in Karlsborg (central Sweden) they are contributing with frontline experience from Ukraine. During Aurora, they will among other things act as adversaries against allied soldiers.

"We bring fresh experience and we are ready to share it," says Lieutenant Colonel Pavlo, who is responsible for the Ukrainian team during Aurora 26, in an article on the Swedish Armed Forces website.

On Gotland (the strategically important Swedish island in the Baltic Sea), approximately 1,300 personnel from the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Ukraine are participating in Aurora 26. The island is one of the exercise's main focal points and is also the location for the exercise's concluding phase on 11 May, when combined combat operations will be practised.