Virginia National Guard supports two CBRN exercises in Finland
Soldiers and airmen from the Virginia National Guard (VNG) conducted a CBRN defence exchange with Finnish forces from 23 February - 7 March in Finland, taking part in two training exercises in as many weeks.
According to information published by the Virginia National Guard, the exchange was conducted in support of the Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program, in which Virginia and Finland have been formally paired since 2024.
Soldiers and airmen assigned to the 229th Chemical Company and the 34th CBRN and High-Yield Explosives Enhanced Response Force Package participated in the exchange.
"Fifteen CRBN specialists began their two-week annual training participating in Exercise Karelian Stone 26, led by the Finnish Defence Force’s Karelian brigade," according to the Virginia National Guard. "The exercise brought together more than 1,000 personnel, including local finish government and law enforcement agencies. For their role, VNG personnel teamed up with an explosive ordnance disposal team from Finland’s Kymi Engineer Battalion."
Kinetic Stone
After Karelian Stone, the VNG personnel joined approximately 400 other participants for the Kinetic Stone exercise in southwest Finland. Led by the Pori Brigade, this exercise trained forces in local defence missions, such as securing critical targets and cooperating with local authorities.
The VNG personnel worked directly with the CBRN detachment from the Satakunta Engineer and Signals Battalion, part of the Pori Brigade in Säkylä, practicing their skills in realistic scenarios at a hospital, a water treatment plant and the major port in Turku.
"Across both exercises, the 229th Chemical Company focused on their core mission set of CBRN reconnaissance, sample collection and decontamination," said Captain Charles Reinsel, commander of the 229th Chemical Company.
"A key technology highlighted during the training was a versatile unmanned ground system. This robotic platform was instrumental in allowing the combined US and Finnish forces to investigate and navigate potentially hazardous environments from a safe distance, showcasing the unit's advanced technical capabilities."
