The Virginia National Guard formalized its partnership with the Finnish military during a signing ceremony May 2, 2024, in Helsinki, Finland. The letter of intent, signed by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, center, Finnish defense minister Antti Häkkänen, and Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the adjutant general of Virginia, recognizes the pairing as part of the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program. (Courtesy)
Finland is the latest country to join the U.S. National Guard’s state partnership program, an initiative that aims to strengthen allied forces by connecting them to American reserve forces for long-term collaboration.
Finland’s military is now partnered with the Virginia National Guard, building on a relationship that traces back to operations decades ago in the Balkans.
“While only recently formalized, the partnership between Finland and the Virginia Guard goes back to 2001,” when Virginia guardsmen deployed with Finnish troops for stabilization operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement Thursday.
The arrangement between Virginia and Finland was finalized during a May 2 ceremony in Helsinki that included Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
The Guard’s state partnership program plays a key role for U.S. European Command when it comes to training with other national militaries.
The initiative was set up in the aftermath of the Cold War to build up ties with former Soviet republics and Warsaw Pact countries. In the years since, it’s expanded to 106 countries worldwide.
One of the most significant partnerships has been the one between California and Ukraine, where before Russia’s 2022 invasion, guardsmen routinely deployed over the years to train Ukrainian troops.
Maj. Gen. Juha-Pekka Keränen, Finnish air force commander, meets with Virginia National Guard leaders April 8, 2024, during a visit at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the adjutant general of Virginia and Brig. Gen. Catherine M. Jumper, commander of the Virginia Air National Guard, stand next to Keränen at right. Finland is now partnered with the Virgina National Guard in the U.S. National Guard’s state partnership program. (Mike Vrabel)
In the case of Finland, Virginia guardsmen will be collaborating with a new NATO member that has the alliance’s longest national border with Russia.
The partnership with Finland’s military is expected to focus on combined air and land operations, cyberthreats, intelligence operations and tactics for fighting in cold weather environments, the Virginia National Guard said in a statement Monday.
