State Partnership Program- Tajikistan & Finland


The National Guard’s State Partnership Program has served as a cornerstone for building enduring partnerships between U.S. states and more than 100 partner-nations for over 30 years. Through the SPP, U.S. National Guard units and partner-nation forces engage in a wide array of activities ranging from joint training exercises and personnel exchanges to disaster response and humanitarian aid initiatives.

The SPP, administered by the National Guard Bureau, is guided by U.S. State Department foreign policy goals, and is executed by the state adjutants general in support of combatant commander and U.S. Chief of Mission security cooperation objectives and Department of Defense policy goals by developing enduring relationships with partner-nations and carrying out activities such as military-to-military engagements while also leveraging whole-of-society relationships and capabilities to facilitate broader cooperation spanning military, government, economic, and social spheres.    

The VNG just recently observed the 20th anniversary of its partnership with Tajikistan, and there have been more than 200 exchanges during that time. The VNG and Republic of Tajikistan have conducted exchanges on subjects like communications, infantry tactics, checkpoint security, civil engineering, and medical evacuation.  

The Virginia National Guard formalized its partnership with the Finnish Defense Forces during a signing ceremony May 2, 2024, at the Finnish Ministry of Defense in Helsinki, Finland. The letter of intent, signed by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, Finnish Minister of Defense Antti Häkkänen, and Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia, officially recognizes the pairing of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Finland and the VNG as part of the National Guard Bureau's State Partnership Program.  

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. 

SPP News

Virginia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen conduct a chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear defense exchange with Finnish forces Feb. 23 - March 7, 2026, in Finland. The exchange was conducted in support of the Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program, in which Virginia and Finland have been formally paired since 2024. Soldiers and Airmen assigned to the 229th Chemical Company and the 34th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and High-Yield Explosives Enhanced Response Force Package, or CERFP, participated in the exchange.
VNG Soldiers, Airmen support Karelian Stone in Finland
March 18, 2026
Virginia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen conducted a chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear defense exchange with Finnish forces Feb. 23 - March 7, 2026, in Finland. 
Virginia National Guard Airmen assigned to Detachment 1, 192nd Medical Group, 192nd Wing conduct a combat medical exchange with members of the Tajikistan armed forces Feb. 2 - 6, 2026, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The exchange was conducted in support of the State Partnership Program, in which Virginia and Tajikistan have been formal partners since 2003.
VNG strengthens partnership with Tajikistan through medical exchange
March 5, 2026
Virginia National Guard Airmen assigned to Detachment 1, 192nd Medical Group, 192nd Wing conducted a combat medical exchange with members of the Tajikistan armed forces Feb. 2 - 6, 2026, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
State Partnership Program logo
VNG Soldiers, Airmen participate in Finnish cyber security exercise
Feb. 19, 2026
Virginia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen assigned to the Fort Belvoir-based 91st Cyber Brigade and the 185th Cyberspace Operations Squadron, 192nd Wing participated in Elements of Cyber 2026, a Finnish cyber exercise, Feb. 2-6, 2026, in Riihimäki, Finland.
Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Fort Pickett-based 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute, conduct a landmark training mission with members of the Tajikistan Special Forces at Fort Pickett, Virginia. The training was conducted in support of the State Partnership Program, in which Virginia and Tajikistan have been formal partners since 2003. It was also conducted in conjunction with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism.
183rd RTI hosts Tajik partners, train on counterterrorism 
Feb. 5, 2026
Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Fort Pickett-based 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute, completed a landmark training mission with members of the Tajikistan Special Forces Jan. 19-30, 2026, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. 
Senior leaders with the 192nd Wing, Virginia Air National Guard, welcome Maj. Gen. Sami Nurmi, Finnish Defense Forces deputy chief of staff for strategy, for an official visit to the wing Dec. 11, 2025, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Virginia. During his visit, Nurmi received an overview of the VaANG’s federal and state missions and toured the 185th Cyberspace Operations Squadron facility where he learned about their capabilities for mobilization and cyber integration with Finland. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Johnisa Jackson)
Finnish strategy chief visits the Virginia Air National Guard
Jan. 22, 2026
The 192nd Wing, Virginia Air National Guard, hosted an official visit for distinguished visitors from the Finnish Defence Forces Dec. 11, 2025, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Virginia. Senior leaders within the VaANG welcomed Maj. Gen. Sami Nurmi, Finnish Defence Forces deputy chief of staff for strategy, for an official visit to the wing.