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8.5.2026 | The commander of The Bundeswehr Joint Force Command, Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank, along with a delegation, visited Finland on 7-8 May 2026. The host of the visit was the Finnish Defence Forces Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Lieutenant General Kari Nisula.

16.4.2026 | All brigade-level units of the Army will rehearse joint operating with allied countries’ contingents in the course of May. Several exercises executed simultaneously are aimed at strengthening the Army’s defence capability across Finland, conscripts’ know-how and joint operating with Allies. During the spring, a total of approximately 19,000 allied soldiers from Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Norway, France, United Kingdom, United States, Italy, Hungary and Poland will take part in the exercises.

Facts about Utti Jaeger Regiment The Utti Jaeger Regiment is home to the Special Forces Unit and the helicopter operations of the Finnish Defence Forces, along with branches that support them. • hired personnel 460 • conscripts 220 • approximate n...

Army The Army defends the entire land area of the state and executes all three of the Defence Forces’ tasks. The defence of Finland’s territory is based on the large reserve created by general conscription. Annually, the Army’s eight brigade-level...

30.1.2026 | Utti Jaeger Regiment will train in Northern Finland from 2 February to 27 March 2026. The exercise series will involve about 1,000 soldiers in total from the Finnish Defence Forces and the Allied countries.

25.11.2025 | The Kainuu Brigade's Northern Axe 25 combat exercise will be conducted in the Kainuu region from November 29 to December 5, 2025.

4.3.2026 | The Finnish Defence Forces will participate in the most important series of Arctic exercises on 9-20 March 2026. Exercise Cold Response 26, led by Norway, will bring 25,000 soldiers from 14 countries to Northern parts of Finland, Norway and Sweden. The exercise is part of NATO’s enhanced presence, Arctic Sentry, which strengthens the Alliance's capability and permanent presence in the Nordic area.

29.7.2022 | In Finland, the Army has organized large training entities which are part of additional international exercise and training activities. Finnish troops have also participated in many international exercises. The main objective of international exercises is to integrate and learn from other forces’ procedures, but for an individual soldier, they are much more than that. In international exercises, you get to train and experience new things that a conscript would not otherwise encounter.

The Finnish Army’s major project over the next decade aims for reforming the entire land defence. Implemented between 2025 and 2035, development work is to build on a realistic threat assessment, technological progress, and close cooperation with allies and the defence industry.

8.2.2024 | The Utti Jaeger Regiment will lead the Northern Griffin 24 winter-conditions exercise in Northern Finland during 12 February – 15 March 2024. The Finnish Defence Forces’ helicopters will be part of the exercise.

3.11.2025 | The international air defence exercise ADEX Mallet Strike 2/25 will be organized in the Lohtaja Firing Range and Training Area from 11 to 20 November 2025.

21.8.2025 | The Utti Jaeger Regiment will lead an international special operations forces training exercise during 25 August – 12 September 2025. The exercise will develop the combined joint operating capability of special forces of the Alliance’s member nations in Northern Europe’s conditions.

2.10.2025 | On 16 September 2025, Command Senior Enlisted Leaders (CSEL) of NATO member nations’ land forces familiarised with conscript training of the Army at the Jaeger Brigade during the NATO Land Command conference (LC3).

Independent Finland’s ground-based air defence turns 100 this year. In the course of decades, ground-based air defence has been developed for the purpose of the country being able to respond to air threats. Ground-based air defence, founded on a multi-layered capability of missile systems and projectile-based air defence weapons to repel offensives, on networked air defence command and control, ...

8.11.2024 | The exercise will affect the traffic especially in the surroundings of the Rovajärvi training area and the main roads as the troops and equipment are being transported to the exercise sites. Lightning Strike 24 is a part of the exercise series Dynamic Front 25, which is the largest NATO artillery exercise series ever conducted in Europe.

9.4.2025 | The training exercise entity of the Army will start at the end of April to continue until early June in all of Finland. The exercises will strengthen the alliance’s ability for joint operating, build-up of combat power, and its concentration across Finland.

19.3.2025 | Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Pasi Välimäki was on a working visit to Italy on 11-14 March 2025. During the visit, Lieutenant General Välimäki familiarised with air defence systems of the Italian Army at the Anti-aircraft Artillery Command Sabaudia, and was briefed by the 17th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca" on the most recent technological developments concerning, among other, CUAS.

5.5.2025 | The Kainuu Brigade will lead Northern Strike 125, a live-fire exercise, and Northern Star 25, a combat exercise, at Rovajärvi during 12-31 May 2025. In total, the exercises will be participated by up to c. 6,500 personnel of whom 900 will be from Sweden and 350 from the UK.

10.2.2025 | The Army will organise the local defence exercises during 18.2.–7.3. this spring. From the Defence Forces, the altogether six local defence exercises will be participated by up to c. 3,000 conscripts, reservists, and service personnel, as well as more than 400 vehicles in total. As is characteristic for local defence exercises, the training audience will also include a significant number of other authorities and business sector stakeholders.

14.11.2024 | The Utti Jaeger Regiment’s Helicopter Battalion has three of its NH90 tactical transport helicopters training in Sweden from 15 to 23 November 2024.