MIKKELI, Finland –
Six Virginia National Guard Soldiers trained alongside approximately 60 members of the Finnish Army and local Finnish fire departments during exercise Karelian Stronghold 2026, held Sept. 1 - 4, 2026, in Mikkeli, Finland.
Karelian Stronghold is a four-day bilateral exercise focused on rescue operations, structural collapse response, breaching and the movement of heavy debris. Conducted in and around a former school in Mikkeli, the exercise provided a highly realistic environment for U.S. and Finnish personnel to exchange techniques and operate together under conditions designed to replicate damaged and partially collapsed structures. Training emphasized practical problem-solving, interoperability, and the safe application of rescue and engineering techniques in complex environments.
Throughout the exercise, participants practiced lifting and moving rubble, concrete blocks, and other large debris using a combination of mechanical advantage systems and field-expedient techniques. Teams employed winches, rollers, wooden ramps, A-frames, tripods, and other equipment to move heavy obstacles while maintaining control of the load and protecting personnel working in confined areas.
Participants also conducted concrete breaching operations inside a bunker located beneath the school. U.S. and Finnish personnel used concrete saws, rotary hammers, drills, and other breaching equipment to create access points through reinforced structural material. The training required teams to assess the structure, select appropriate tools and techniques, and coordinate their efforts while operating in restrictive conditions.
Structural stabilization was another major component of the exercise. Teams constructed traditional wood shoring systems and trained with pneumatic shoring equipment to stabilize compromised areas before rescue operations could continue. Working side by side allowed participants to compare Finnish and U.S. approaches to stabilization, equipment employment, and risk management.
The scenarios culminated in the evaluation, access, treatment, and rescue of simulated casualties from damaged structures. Rescue teams were required to combine breaching, shoring, debris removal, and casualty-handling skills rather than treating each task as an isolated event. The abandoned school added considerably to the realism, forcing teams to work through confined spaces, damaged concrete, unstable areas, and other hazards representative of an actual structural-collapse response.
Karelian Stronghold provided the Virginia National Guard, Finnish Army, and local Finnish emergency services an opportunity to build interoperability at the tactical level while exchanging techniques developed from different military and civilian rescue experiences. The exercise strengthened the relationship between the Virginia National Guard and Finland through the State Partnership Program, while expanding cooperation beyond traditional military training into capabilities directly applicable to disaster response and the protection of civilian populations.