HALLI, FINLAND – During Exercise SOUTHERN GRIFFIN 25, Air Commandos from the 352d Special Operations Wing integrate and operate with NATO partners, highlighting international cooperation and demonstrating combat-ready forces through Special Operation Forces placement, access, and effectiveness in contested environments.
The 352d SOW performed operations with CV-22B Ospreys and MC-130J Commando IIs for the duration of the exercise.
“Today’s mission involved vehicle operations training with our Special Operations Forces partners from the U.S. Army, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany, Estonia, and the United Kingdom,” said a 352d SOW CV-22B Osprey pilot. “We successfully trained more than 70 drivers and loaded and unloaded over 30 different vehicles and motorbikes onto the Ospreys.”
Demonstrating Special Operations Forces placement, access, and effectiveness in contested environments is a key goal of Exercise SG25.
“The training also included aircraft from other NATO nations,” said the pilot. “It’s an incredibly crucial part of building vital partnerships with our NATO allies near the Russian border.”
Exercise SOUTHERN GRIFFIN creates real-world scenarios across the full spectrum of special operations ensuring allies know how to deter and, if needed, defeat any threat.
“Building partnerships and being aware of our adversaries emphasizes the importance of the Exercise Southern Griffin mission, especially in the high north,” the pilot stated. “Today’s training was a huge success, and everyone is excited and grateful for the opportunity. It was a very positive experience.”