Six members of the Virginia Air National Guard participated in Locked Shields 2026, an international cyber defense exercise, April 11-25, 2026, in Jyväskylä, Finland. Virginia’s participation was in support of the State Partnership Program, in which the VNG and Finland have been formally partnered since 2024. The exercise is one of the largest international live-fire cyber defense exercises, bringing together about 4,000 participants from 40 nations. The six Virginia Airmen joined with their Finnish partners and other allied nations to enhance their skills in defensing against complex cyber threats.