Lieutenant General Ralph Wooddisse Participates the Finnish Army Command Exercise in Finland

The Commander of NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC), Lieutenant General Ralph Wooddisse, and his staff participated the Army Command Exercise at the invitation of the Commander of the Finnish Army, Lieutenant General Pasi Välimäki, from 5 to 7 November 2024.

The Army Command Exercise was prior to the Lightning Strike 24 exercise, a part of NATO’s Dynamic Front 25 exercise, in Rovajärvi.

- It is an enormous privilege for NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps to work alongside the Finnish Army on the Army’s Command Exercise. We have learnt a great deal from the experience and it has confirmed our ability to fight together whenever necessary. There is power in combinations, and we have seen this in practice on this exercise. We are looking forward to Exercise DYNAMIC FRONT, the next step of Finland’s integration into NATO, says Lieutenant General Wooddisse.

Rehearsing together at the Army Command is essential when planning the use of NATO forces and capabilities in exercises and war times.

- The past week has shown us how our goal is common and clear, whether our future operations concern joint exercises or preparedness for war times. It is great to work together with the ARRC in Mikkeli as we take our first steps as a Multi-Corps Land Component Command for the Alliance. Change can truly happen when we do it together, says Lieutenant General Välimäki.