Karelia Brigade Participates in Desert Snow exercise in United States of America
The exercise, taking place in June 2-28 2026, is part of the cooperation between the Karelia Brigade and the Virginia National Guard under the official partnership program between Finland and Virginia National Guard.
The Karelia Brigade is participating in a Virginia National Guard-led exercise conducted in the state of Louisiana in the United States. The total strength of the Finnish training contingent is approx. 80 personnel and reservists. The aim of the exercise is to strengthen interoperability between participating forces, deepen personnel expertise at the tactical level, and enhance compatibility and cooperation between units.
The exercise is a unique opportunity and a strong demonstration of how bilateral cooperation between Finland and the United States — as well as between our brigade and the Virginia National Guard — continues to deepen. By deploying a reserve-based training contingent to United States for the second time, we both gain valuable experience in joint operations, particularly in the areas of logistics and host nation support arrangements, says Brigadier General Tomi Pekurinen, Commander of the Karelia Brigade.
In addition to regular personnel, the Finnish exercise contingent includes more than fifty reservists who have been activated for refresher training. During the Desert Snow 26 live-fire and field training exercise, participating forces will develop readiness, joint operational capability, and the ability to operate and sustain one another in a multinational environment.
This demonstrates that we are capable not only of supporting our Allies, but also of relying on them. This exercise, together with other reserve-focused exercises conducted domestically and now once again in the United States, proves that our conscription-based defence system functions effectively and that our reservists are capable of operating alongside Allied forces under all conditions, Brigadier General Pekurinen adds.
During the exercise, personnel from the Virginia National Guard maintenance unit will reciprocally deploy to the Karelia Brigade. The purpose of the cooperation is to improve equipment interoperability and deepen military-to-military cooperation between the two countries.
The exercise is part of planned bilateral cooperation between Karelia Brigade and Virginia National Guard.
