KOUVOLA, Finland –
A platoon of Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the West Point-based 237th Engineer Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group recently took part in a historic cold-weather training exercise with the Finnish Defense Force’s Karelia Brigade, marking a milestone in Virginia’s growing defense relationship with Finland.
Held from Feb. 15 – March 1, 2025 in southern Finland, this was the first such training since Virginia and Finland formalized their partnership through the Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program in May 2024. The exercise was part of Arctic Forge 25, a biennial U.S. Army Europe and Africa-led multinational exercise with Finland, Norway and Canada, designed to strengthen the U.S. Army’s ability to operate in extreme Arctic conditions and reinforce allied cooperation, integration and security in the Arctic region.
In southern Finland, the Karelia Brigade and its Kymi Engineer Battalion hosted Virginia’s 237th Engineer Company. The Kymi Engineer Battalion, within the Karelia Brigade (which also includes mechanized infantry, artillery, air defense, signal, and logistics), serves as a national center of excellence for combat engineer training for the Finnish Army. Its specialties include explosive ordnance disposal and counter mobility tactics such as the deployment of anti-tank mines and ditches, which can be strategically employed to enable or counter the flow of military forces and sustainment.
“I wanted our troops to be able to have direct cooperation with the Finnish Soldiers, but also to understand the complexities that this environment presents in a combat situation,” said Master Sgt. Brett Albertson, Operations noncommissioned officer in charge for the 276th Engineer Battalion, a planner and leader of the exercise.
Training focused on honing Soldier and combat engineer skills in cold-weather conditions while fostering military and cultural exchange to strengthen interoperability. Emphasizing real-world application, it blended tactical combat engineering, winter survival and soldiering with hands-on exercises in RK-95 weapons handling, anti-tank mine placement and clearing, wire obstacle construction, road clearing demolitions and two multi-day field training exercises which simulated modern combat contexts.
“I thought it was a fantastic and unique opportunity,” said Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Teta, platoon sergeant with the 237th. “It was really great to see what we could learn from the Finns and what they could learn from us, especially when it came to being ‘fast, ugly, and robust’.”
A recurring theme of the exercise, the motto ‘Fast, Ugly, and Robust’ also serves as a concise ideal for the work of combat engineers.
Over the two weeks, Finnish and Virginian counterparts exchanged combat engineer techniques and standard operating procedures, demonstrated equipment, and discussed overall approaches to military education, training, decision making, operations, and culture. The mutual understanding forged in the exchange not only strengthens both forces but also deepens their ability to operate as a unified team.
Capt. Pauli Viljakainen, the Karelia Brigade Headquarters Lead for the Planning and Coordination of International Exercises, described his perspective on the significance of the event: “The most important thing is that we finally got a platoon from the Virginia National Guard here, and that Virginia and Finland were able to do something together for two weeks. And, as with any international exercise, one of the key things is building personal relationships with different people, because those are the ones that will help you in the future, on a personal level, and will also help the greater military system. When junior leaders now become senior leaders later, and they know each other already, there is already a shared understanding and things can be agreed upon more easily.”
During the exercise, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia, and Lt. Gen. Pasi Välimäki, the Commander of the Finnish Army, visited the Karelia Brigade and 237th Engineer Company for a meal and discussion.
“The partnership between Finland and the Virginia National Guard is only going to deepen,”
Kaine said during his remarks.
Finland as a country has a deeply ingrained commitment to national defense. A recent study by the Finnish Ministry of Defense found that 83% of Finns would be willing to participate in duties of defense if Finland were attacked, according to the Finnish Ministry of Defense. That sense of participation is reflected in Finland’s distinctive military structure, its whole-of-society approach to security and a shared emphasis on internal strength and resilience.
Read more about the Virginia National Guard’s partnership with Finland at https://vngpao.info/yckwa597.
Read more about the State Partnership Program at https://vngpao.info/yd647trf.