The Army’s main regional exercise Lively Sentry 25 will focus on repelling attacks

Lively Sentry 25, led by the Guard Jaeger Regiment, will be organised from 27 November to 4 December 2025. The exercise will be conducted in the areas of East Uusimaa, Kymenlaakso and Päijät-Häme.

There will be approximately 6,550 soldiers participating in the exercise: about 4,000 conscripts, 850 personnel and 1,700 reservists. The participating units include the Guard Jaeger Regiment, Armoured Brigade, Pori Brigade, Karelia Brigade, Army Academy, Karelia Air Wing and Border Guard. The exercise will be led by Deputy Commander of the Guard Jaeger Regiment, Colonel Jussi Annala.

The objective of Lively Sentry 25 is to maintain and improve military interoperability and capability. The exercise will focus on the Army’s readiness and capability to repel attacks. The exercise theme is repelling attacks with local forces and defeating attackers with reserves. The exercise will also feature a mechanized battle group’s attack in a forested area. The number of vehicles involved in the exercise is over 900, of which 190 are armoured vehicles, including main battle tanks. There will also be flight operations with MD500 helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles/drones. 
 

Training areas and traffic

The exercise will take place on both state and private land, primarily in the areas around Orimattila, Elimäki, Kouvola, Lapinjärvi, Loviisa and Myrskylä. Its impact on traffic is significant especially in Orimattila, in the area around Artjärvi. Traffic will be restricted and roads closed in the area during the exercise. Driving to and from private buildings and sites will be possible also when roads are closed, but one must be prepared for a waiting time of 30 minutes (max.) at the roadblocks points. Restrictions will not apply to emergency vehicles. Delays in school transports and care services will be kept to a minimum, despite the roadblocks. To keep the roads as safe as possible, there will also be traffic controllers on the roads that remain open. In these areas, traffic may be stopped for a maximum of 10 minutes at a time.

Details about the traffic arrangements as well as the exercise contact information can be found in the separate PDF attachment.

There will be military vehicles and soldiers wearing a fighting load and carrying weapons in the training areas throughout the exercise.  Blank ammunition used in the exercise may also cause noise. Phases that cause a lot of noise will be conducted between 0800 and 2100 hours, whenever possible.

Lively Sentry 25 will also be the closing exercise for conscripts mustering out in December. These conscripts are conscript leaders who started their service in January, and conscripts trained for rank- and-file tasks who started in July.

- The exercise underlines interoperability between units, commands and branches. The weather and approaching winter challenge all units participating in the exercise. Military activity in the training area and its vicinity may cause temporary restrictions in the use of areas and local roads, the Exercise Director, Colonel Jussi Annala says.

The Defence Forces carries out exercises to practise defence of Finland systematically across the country, 24/7 all year round, in all conditions. This is our way to produce security to our society and each and every one of its citizens.