HAMPTON, Va. –
Finnish Maj. Gen. Timo Herranen, commander of the Finnish Air Force, met with Virginia National Guard leaders April 7, 2025, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis. The visit was part of the Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program, which established a partnership between Virginia and Finland in May 2024.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia, hosted the visit along with U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Catherine M. Jumper, Commander of the Virginia Air National Guard, and U.S. Air Force Col. Brock E. Lange, 192nd Wing commander.
Herranen was accompanied by Finnish Col. Markus Mecklin, the defense cooperation attache, Finnish Col. Tero Solante, chief of digitalization, and Finnish Lt. Col. Mikko Kankaisto, Herranen’s military assistant.
During the visit, the Finnish delegation was introduced to senior leaders of the 192nd Wing, who provided an overview of the wing’s operations and answered questions from their Finnish counterparts.
Airmen with the 192nd Wing briefed the Finnish partners on several VaANG mission capabilities. Highlights included discussions and a static display of an F-22 Raptor, the Expandable Single Pallet Expeditionary Kitchen, and the 185th Cyberspace Operations Squadron. The Virginia Beach-based 203rd Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers was also represented during the tour, showcasing a 670G Motor Grader.
The tour concluded with Ring and Herranen meeting with Lt. Gen. Michael G. Koscheski, Air Combat Command deputy commander.
“The Virginia National Guard and our U.S. Armed Forces continue to benefit from the partnership with the Finnish Defence Forces,” said Ring. “It was an honor for the Virginia National Guard to host Maj. Gen. Herranen and his team in Virginia, and we look forward to future exchanges with the Finnish Air Force. The U.S., Finland and our global partners remain stronger together as we promote peace through strength.”
Herranen expressed his appreciation for the visit, noting the strong capabilities, commitment, and friendship demonstrated by the Virginia Air National Guard.
“The Finnish Air Force was convinced of VaANG’s warfighting and ACE (Agile Combat Employment) capabilities,” said Herranen. “Cyber also allows for many cooperation opportunities.”
The visit highlighted the growing ties between Finland and Virginia and underscored the importance of international cooperation and shared defense strategies through the State Partnership Program.
The VNG maintains a strong relationship with Finland, which includes military training exchanges between Finnish Defence Forces and VNG Soldiers and Airmen. Previous missions have included joint exercises and strategic planning sessions.
Most recently, the West Point-based 237th Engineer Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group participated in a cold-weather training exercise from Feb. 15 to March 1 with the Finnish Defense Force during Arctic Forge 25 in Kouvola, Finland. In November 2024, the Lynchburg-based 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team conducted an infantry exchange with the Finnish Defense Forces in Finland. Finnish personnel also traveled to Virginia to participate in the Cyber Fortress 3.0 exercise, hosted by the 91st Cyber Brigade, in the summer of 2024.
~ Photos on Flickr at
https://vngpao.info/mr295pmc
~ Read more about the VNG’s partnership with Finland at
https://vngpao.info/yckwa597.