Two U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II jets executed a historic landing on a highway in Finland on Wednesday as part of the Finnish Air Force’s annual road base exercise, dubbed BAANA 2024.

The two U.S. jets were assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, U.K. and their maneuver demonstrated advancements in the NATO Alliance’s ability to deploy air power from unconventional locations.

BAANA 24 is the annual road base exercises, and the Finnish Air Force regularly trains outside its main operating bases to be able to quickly disperse aircraft across Finland if necessary. The activities prepare the military branch for battle from anywhere, according to a press release from the Finnish military.

The objective is to do take-offs and landings at a road base.

FINLAND EXTENDS CLOSURE OF RUSSIAN BORDER UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE OVER MIGRATION CONCERNS

The two F-35s participated in the exercises for better integration among allied forces.

“The successful first-ever landing of our fifth generation F-35 on a highway in Europe is a testament to the growing relationship and close interoperability we have with our Finnish Allies,” Gen. James Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa said. “The opportunity to learn from our Finnish counterparts improves our ability to rapidly deploy and employ air power from unconventional locations and reflects the collective readiness and the agility of our forces.” 

PUTIN PROMISES ‘PROBLEMS’ FOR FINLAND AFTER IT WAS ‘DRAGGED INTO NATO’

During the exercise, two F-35s demonstrated landing and takeoff operations on the Finnish highway strip to practice Agile Combat Employment, which increases the ability of collective partners to collaborate and operate in a joint, high-intensity environment, improving readiness, responsiveness, and interoperability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Tabatha Chapman)

Finland joined NATO in 2023 and has since provided U.S. Airmen opportunities to learn from each other.

One of the most recent activities involved the Finnish Air Force, which was among nine national air forces that participated in an air superiority exercise in Ramstein, Germany in June.

During the event, pilots used their aircraft in a series of air combat simulations.

Already, the toll of the current political unrest has been high. Since the July election, at least 23 people have died in Venezuela’s protests, according to Victim Monitor, a human rights group. Foro Penal, meanwhile, has documented 1,581 arrests.

Some critics have speculated that, if Maduro continues to lose popular support, the Venezuelan military could turn on him.

Even the opposition’s presidential candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, urged the country’s security forces to “fulfil their constitutional duties” and not “repress the people”.

Straka, the historian, pointed out that the Venezuelan military has turned its back on leaders in the past, most notably in the case of the dictator Perez Jimenez.

That the military played a role in his downfall took “everyone by surprise”, Straka explained. “The armed forces — Perez Jimenez’s main support — were divided.”

But that outcome is less likely in Maduro’s case, according to Gunson, the Venezuela expert at the International Crisis Group. He indicated that some military leaders could face prosecution without Maduro’s protection.

“If the military were to desert Maduro, his government would fall,” Gunson told Al Jazeera. “But the high command is unlikely to do that in the near future at least because it would threaten their own personal positions.”

In recent weeks, the military even reaffirmed its support for Maduro amid the election crisis.

On August 25, the Bolivarian Armed Forces (FANB) pledged their “absolute loyalty and subordination to the commander-in-chief of the FANB, President Nicolas Maduro”.

Still, Gunson believes the military might not be as unified as it appears.

“There is no reason to believe that members of the security forces voted any differently from the rest of the population,” Gunson said, pointing to the widespread support for Venezuela’s opposition coalition.

“There are plenty of anecdotes to support the thesis that many members of the National Guard and the police sympathise with demonstrators,” he added. “In recent years, thousands of members of the armed forces have deserted, and many have left the country.”

The strength of the opposition has given Tenreiro — the woman who witnessed the fall of Perez Jimenez over 60 years ago — a measure of hope. She said she wishes to see another authoritarian leader topple in her lifetime.

“I don’t want to leave this world before seeing the start of change [in Venezuela] once again.”