Survival skills to be trained in the Jaeger Brigade in August
The SERE Instructor Course, to be held on 15-28 August 2026, has participants from Finland, Estonia, Italy, Hungary, Switzerland, and the UK.
Under the guidance of the Jaeger Brigade and Defence Forces instructors, the participants learn skills specified in the SERE training programme (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Extraction): survival skills, avoiding the enemy in non-urban and urban environments, what to do if captured and how to escape and find one’s way back to friendly lines. The objective is that, having completed the course, the participants have the skills and knowledge needed to instruct a C level SERE training course.
The course begins with an instructional phase after which the soldiers’ skills and knowledge get tested in a practical exercise.
The exercise takes place in the following areas:
- Rovajärvi training area
- Niesi – Perunkajärvi – Norvajärvi
- Rovaniemi urban area
Soldiers wearing a fighting load train both in urban and non-urban areas. The personnel involved in target activity may be wearing civilian clothes. The equipment used in the exercise include the Defence Forces’ helicopters, vehicles and boats and training ammunition. Helicopters and firing may cause some noise.
The participation of the foreign soldiers in the SERE Instructor Course is part of the Army’s international training cooperation. The experiences gained from courses will be incorporated into domestic training and the development of national defence.
