Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army visited Finland

Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army, Lieutenant General Jan Swillens visited the Karelia Brigade and the Mighty Arrow 25 -exercise in Niinisalo at the turn of April-May 2025. The visit was hosted by the Commander of the Finnish Army, Lieutenant General Pasi Välimäki.

During his visit, Lieutenant General Swillens was familiarized with the Finnish readiness system at Karelia Brigade as well as the training of conscripts and reservists. In the Mighty Arrow 25 exercise, he observed a multinational mechanized force’s breaching attack, delaying operation, and the operations of an electronic warfare unit.

During the visit, the commanders discussed current and planned future cooperation between the armies of Finland and the Netherlands, the significance of the reserves and the reservist training, the development of NATO’s Multi Corps Land Component Command North West (MCLCC NW) headquarters in Finland, and the current security situation. Based on the discussion, the commanders agreed on future army cooperation between the armies of Finland and the Netherlands.