KYMENLAAKSO, Finland –
Approximately 20 Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division participated in exercise Karelian Sword, a large-scale, multi-national military exercise, May 23 - 30, 2025, in the Kymenlaakso region of Finland.
The exercise was conducted as part of the Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program, in which Virginia and Finland have been formal partners since 2024.
Maj. Gen. Joseph A. DiNonno and Command Sgt. Maj. Eric Saxton, the 29th ID’s command team, visited the 29th’s troops participating in the exercise, as well as with Finnish Brig. Gen. Jyri Raitasalo, commander of the Karelian Brigade and exercise host.
"Our partnership with Finland and particularly the Karelian Brigade is a special one which affords our Soldiers opportunities they won’t find anywhere else,” DiNonno said. "Operation Sword was a high-intensity, full-spectrum training environment that forced participants to adapt to the uncertainties and realities of large-scale combat. Our Soldiers learned a lot from our Finnish partners and were able to impart helpful techniques at the same time."
According to a Finnish Defense Forces news release, approximately 5,000 total troops participated in the exercise, using about 700 heavy transport and armored vehicles. Both Finnish and allied forces also conducted flight operations.
“Karelian Sword is a large-scale military exercise conducted by the Finnish Army, involving thousands of soldiers and allied forces, including the United States and the United Kingdom,” said Lt. Col. Carlos Maldonado, the VNG’s SPP director. “This exercise aims to enhance troop performance, interoperability and joint operations with allies.”
The exercise also serves as the final training event for Finnish conscript leaders who began their service about a year ago, and conscripts in crew roles who started in January 2025. Karelian Sword is part of a series of spring exercises in Finland, during which about 20,000 soldiers will train for national defense and cooperation with allied forces.
"These exercises build genuine interoperability through repetition and trust in the crucible of realistic training, said DiNonno. "These events are readiness builders, and I look forward to increasing and building upon our training relationship with more opportunities moving forward."
The SPP agreement between the VNG and Finnish Defense Forces builds on several decades of friendship and partnership between the two organizations. Finnish troops served alongside the Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division during the Stabilization 10 rotation in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2001-2002, and VNG personnel have trained side-by-side with their Finnish counterparts on numerous occasions over the years. More recently, Virginia Soldiers and Airmen competed in a Finnish Sniper Championship and participated in the Arctic Forge exercises. In summer 2024 Finnish personnel came to Virginia to participate in the Cyber Fortress 3.0 exercise, hosted by the 91st Cyber Brigade.
Read more about the VNG’s partnership with Finland at https://vngpao.info/yckwa597.