People can watch defence exercise in Rovaniemi

The exercise of LAPPI 118 to be held by the Jaeger Brigade in Rovaniemi from February 26 to March 2 can be witnessed by people in the city centre on February 27 to 28.

Both personnel and vehicles from the Finnish Defence Forces and other authorities participating in the exercise will be on the move and taking part in the training programme from February 26 to February 28 in areas in the vicinity of the Police Department, Rovaniemi Town Hall, School of Ounaskoski as well as Rovaniemi Airport, said a press release.

On Wednesday, February 28, Finnish Defence Forces’ heavy vehicles will move from the Somerharju Garrison along the Suutarinkorva Bridge to the Ounaskoski Beach area. In addition, light infantry units will conduct training in the area between the Valtakatu Street and the Ounaskoski Bridge. The estimated training time is from 10:00am to approximately 4:00pm.

Meanwhile, as part of the exercise, training may induce noise in the area of the Ounaskoski School and also result in congested traffic in the vicinity of the training areas.

The police and the military police will direct the traffic and close off the areas needed for the exercise.

The participants of LAPPI 118 include personnel from the Jaeger Brigade, Lapland Air Command, Lapland Border Guard District, Lapland Police Department, Lapland’s

Regional State Administrative Agency, Lapland Hospital District, Finavia, Regional Rescue Services of Lapland, and Lapland’s Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment.

Overall, the total strength of the exercise equals circa 600 persons. The exercise will be commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Arto Vaarala. The objective of the exercise is to train and develop local-level inter-agency cooperation between authorities in case of disturbances and thereby enhance the competence of reservists, conscripts and personnel in local defence missions.

As such, the exercise LAPPI 118 represents one of the five local defence exercises led by Finnish Army’s brigade-level units and organised in the regions of Kymenlaakso, Ostrobothnia, Northern Savonia, Rovaniemi, Satakunta, and Uusimaa from February 26 to March 9. These exercises are aimed at facilitating inter-agency cooperation capability of the security authorities as part of a rapidly developing situation framework, said the release.