Special forces exercise for maritime security begins in Helsinki

A maritime special forces exercise conducted by the Finnish Border Guard and the Police is beginning in Helsinki on Monday, said an official press release.

About four hundred officials and international partners will join the exercise, which will end on Friday.

The Finnish Border Guard's Special Intervention Units, as well as several vessels and helicopters, will participate in the exercise. In addition to the Finnish Border Guard and the Police, other authorities, including the Utti Jaeger Regiment, rescue services and emergency medical services will participate in the exercise. There are also international participants from Estonia, Denmark and the United States.

Exercise sites are located primarily in Santahamina and in the maritime areas off Helsinki and Porkkala.

In addition to the Finnish Border Guard's vessels, helicopters from the Finnish Border Guard and the Finnish Defence Forces, as well as helicopters from the Royal Danish Air Force, are participating in the exercise.

Training ammunition will be used, and the exercises may cause noise in the immediate vicinity.

Exercise troops will be moving in combat gear carrying weapons. Instructors will be wearing yellow high-visibility vests. Troops will be transferred to exercise sites by boat and helicopter.

The exercise includes dedicated target persons portraying persons to be apprehended or injured persons.

The total strength of the exercise is approximately 360 persons.

Joint training ensures that authorities can safeguard the security of citizens and society in all conditions.

The theme of the exercise is the management of maritime, exceptionally demanding situations in cooperation with national and international authorities.

“The objective of the exercise is to develop maritime special forces capability, with which we respond to the threat landscapes of the operational environment, and to strengthen the cooperation between different actors,” said Sami Järvenpää, Deputy Commander of the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard District.

“The Police lead the exercise situation, and the Finnish Border Guard participates with its professional special forces. We have purposefully developed special forces for maritime security situations. Our special forces regularly train with other authorities to ensure that cooperation is smooth and operational models are jointly refined,” said Petteri Blomvall, Head of the Special Forces Sector of the Finnish Border Guard Headquarters.