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National Guard Bureau leaders traveled to Finland, Sweden and Norway late last month to strengthen the Guard’s security cooperation in Northern Europe.
Gen. Steve Nordhaus, the NGB chief, and Senior Enlisted Advisor John Raines, the chief’s SEA, met with defense chiefs in each nation to discuss deepening longtime and new partnerships and how to continue strengthening European and global security.
The adjutants general of the states partnered with each of the Nordic nations in the Guard’s State Partnership Program accompanied Nordhaus and Raines: Maj. Gen. James Ring (Virginia); Maj. Gen. Raymond Shields (New York) and Maj. Gen. Shawn P. Manke (Minnesota).
“These key strategic partnerships ensure we will strengthen our collective defenses along Europe’s northern flank,” said Nordhaus, who visited the region for the first time as NGB chief and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “As we deepen our defense cooperation, we look forward to building partner capacity and sharing the burden of global security together.”
While Norway is a founding member of NATO, going back to 1949, Finland and Sweden ended longstanding policies of neutrality after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, prompting each nation’s accession to NATO in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
In addition to a now unified NATO front fundamentally reshaping the security dynamics of the Arctic and Baltic Sea regions, all three Nordic nations entered security cooperation partnerships directly with the United States in the past two years through the SPP.
Beginning their multination visit in Finland, Nordhaus and Raines familiarized themselves with the nation’s defense capabilities and ways to deepen Finland and Virginia’s budding SPP relationship.
Of the three countries, Finland shares the longest border with Russia — about 835 miles.
“The visit offered an opportunity for in-depth conversations on current issues and opportunities for further deepening our cooperation,” Lt. Gen. Vesa Virtanen, the chief of Finland’s Defence Command, said in a release. “At the same time, it is important that we can offer our important ally an insight into the Finnish defence system and into our national defence principles.”
Finland maintains a large pool of trained reserve military forces of approximately 870,000 personnel, which is significant considering the nation’s relatively small population, to bolster its active-duty military of around 24,000 personnel.
In times of crisis, Finland can mobilize up to 280,000 troops accustomed to the country’s heavily forested terrain and equipped with extensive experience in Arctic operations.
The Guard leaders continued their Nordic nation visits by traveling to Sweden, where the host-nation was preparing to host New York Guardsmen to serve as observers and subject matter experts for the Swedish Army’s 1st Division’s first-ever division staff command-post exercise.
Shields noted that three of the eight Army Guard Infantry divisions — Minnesota’s 34th, New York’s 42nd and Virginia’s 29th — are now partnered with Nordic nations, providing greater opportunities for synergy and best practice exchanges to build readiness and interoperability.
Traveling by Swedish UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, Nordhaus and Raines visited the Swedish Air Force’s Uppland Wing at Ärna Air Base, where they observed a ground refueling and rearming demonstration of the domestically produced JAS 39 Gripen fighter jet by the Swedish armed forces.
Nordhaus, Raines and the three adjutants general concluded their tri-nation Nordic itinerary in Norway.
Though their SPP partnership was formalized in 2023, the Minnesota Guard and Norwegian Home Guard have had a strong relationship for more than half a century.
“The State Partnership Program is built on our strong bilateral relations for decades,” Norwegian Gen. Eirik Kristoffersen, said Norway’s defense chief.
“Norway has had strong relations with the Minnesota National Guard since 1973, years before the program officially started. The program facilitates for even stronger cooperation and exchange of experience. There is no limit on initiatives to further strengthen our already strong commitment to stand together to preserve peace and stability.”
—By Tech. Sgt. Sarah McClanahan
