Youngkin announces VNG formalizes partnership with Finland > Virginia National Guard > News

RICHMOND, Va. –

Governor Glenn Youngkin announced on May 2, 2024 that the Virginia National Guard has been selected as the U.S. partner to the nation of Finland for the Department of Defense National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program. The official signing ceremony of the State Partnership took place at the Finnish Ministry of Defense with the signatory partners, Minister of Defense Antti Häkkänen, Major General Ring and General Janne Jaakkola, Commander of the Finnish Defense Forces, in Helsinki, Finland.

“Now more than ever, it is critical that we build and maintain key strategic relationships to enhance security and provide new avenues for economic development, and I have no doubt that the Virginia National Guard’s partnership with Finland will bring greater peace , stability and opportunity,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “I know that achieving this formal partnership took tremendous effort and energy, and I want to thank our Virginia National Guard and the Finnish Ministry of Defense for their hard work.”

Sasha N. Baker, acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, approved the partnership in an April 23 memo.

“Establishing this partnership with Finland is an important milestone for the Virginia National Guard and underscores its commitment to advancing international cooperation,” said retired Maj. Gen. Craig Crenshaw, Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs. “This cooperation will not only enhance our tactical capabilities, but also strengthen the bonds of friendship and mutual understanding between our armed forces.”

The partnership between the VNG and the Finnish Ministry of Defense is expected to focus on combined air operations and interoperability defense, including defense against cyber threats, information and intelligence operations, combined land forces, including the deployment of forces in cold weather environments, military assistance and support for disaster operations and facilitating special operations training.

“The foundations of this partnership date back to 2001, when members of the Finnish Armed Forces served with the 29th Infantry Division of the Virginia National Guard during Stabilization Force 10’s rotation in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2001-2002,” explains Ring, a major and served as the Aviation Task Force operations officer during the SFOR 10 rotation. “We have formed lasting friendships with our Finnish counterparts, and VNG soldiers and pilots have trained with Finnish military personnel on many occasions over the years, leading to deep professional and personal bonds. I have no doubt that our future engagements will result in greater willingness for the VNG and our Finnish counterparts. As military allies and partners, we are stronger together.”

Virginia’s State Partnership Program with Finland builds on more than two decades of friendship and partnership between the VNG and the Finnish Armed Forces. A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki said the State Partnership Program will enhance civil, military and diplomatic cooperation, create mutually beneficial training opportunities and facilitate the sharing of expertise and best practices. The VNG and the Finnish Armed Forces work side by side to strengthen regional stability and security. The agreement strengthens the steadfast partnership between the U.S. and Finland on a range of defense priorities and complements Finland’s NATO membership and the U.S.-Finnish Defense Cooperation Agreement, and will continue to preserve transatlantic security and address all challenges that the countries may face.

Read more about the VNG’s collaboration with Finland at https://ngpa.us/26736.

The State Partnership Program began in 1993 with 13 partners. Thirty years later, the program has grown to 89 partner countries and is an important tool for U.S. security cooperation that facilitates cooperation on all aspects of civil-military affairs. Initially developed to help countries emerging from behind the Iron Curtain, the SPP now includes 89 countries and the National Guard of every U.S. state and territory. National Guard soldiers and airmen work with partner militaries to strengthen capabilities, improve interoperability and reinforce the principles of responsible governance.

Finland, Palau, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Sweden and Tanzania will be added to the Defense Department’s National Guard State Partnership Program in 2024, Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, the 29th chief of the National Guard Bureau, told a forum of defense and industry leaders March 7.

The VNG recently celebrated the twentieth anniversary of its partnership with Tajikistan, and more than 200 exchanges have taken place during that time. Over the past year, the VNG and the Republic of Tajikistan have exchanged views on topics such as communications, infantry tactics, checkpoint security, civil engineering and medical evacuation. Read more about the joint resolution recognizing the 20th anniversary of the VNG partnership with Tajikistan at https://ngpa.us/29353 and read more about exchanges at https://ngpa.us/29354.

About the Virginia National Guard:

The Virginia National Guard is a unique, dual-status military force, with a federal mission to provide a combat reserve for the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force to fight our nation’s wars, and a state mission to provide a response force that responds to the governor’s call to defend the commonwealth. The VNG traces the history and tradition of Citizen-Soldier service to the founding of Jamestown in 1607, and since then there has been a military presence defending Virginia.

Since September 11, 2001, more than 18,500 VNG soldiers and pilots have been mobilized for homeland security missions around the world and in the United States. From August 2021 to February 2023, more than 2,000 VNG personnel were mobilized for federal active duty in the United States and abroad, the highest number since 2007. Soldiers and airmen deployed overseas for missions in Kuwait, Iraq, the Horn of Africa, Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia Arabia. VNG troops on duty in the U.S. provided support to the Department of Defense-approved Customs and Border Protection Support Mission on the Southwest Border and cyberspace operations support to U.S. Cyber ​​Command.