Minister of Defence Häkkänen decides on Finnish Defence Forces’ participation in international training and exercises in 2027

Minister of Defence Häkkänen decides on Finnish Defence Forces' participation in international training and exercises in 2027

Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen has decided on the participation of the Finnish Defence Forces in international training and exercises in 2027.

"By actively engaging in training and exercises with our allies, we show our defence capability and further improve the operational and other capabilities we need for our defence. The Finnish Defence Forces' international training and exercise plan for 2027 has 134 exercises or exercise settings in Finland and abroad," Minister of Defence Häkkänen said.

Finland's NATO membership, our deepening defence cooperation with the United States, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, France and other important allies, and the evolving security environment have wide ranging effects on the international training and exercises of the Finnish Defence Forces.

"Next year, a particular focus will be on the training and exercises of NATO's permanent presence in Finland, that is, the Multi-Corps Land Component Command (MCLCC) in Mikkeli and the Forward Land Forces (FLF) in Lapland," Minister Häkkänen said.

"We are also keeping track of technological advances in conflicts and the battlefield. We analyse carefully our observations and integrate the lessons learned into the training and exercises of the Finnish Defence Forces," Häkkänen said.

International exercises are an integral part of the Finnish Defence Forces' daily exercises. In practice, there are always Allied forces in Finland who are either engaged in, preparing for or concluding exercises.

"We have Allied forces exercising in Finland almost every day and, increasingly, for extended periods," Häkkänen said.

The Finnish Defence Forces will provide more information about the training and exercises closer to the date of each event.

Inquiries: Mika Varvikko, Ministerial Adviser, Ministry of Defence, tel. +358 295 140 316.