More resources are needed for the planning and implementation of exercises for conscripts – individual performance is overemphasised

The Safety In­ves­ti­ga­tion Au­thor­ity, Fin­land, has com­pleted an in­ves­ti­ga­tion into the ac­ci­dent that oc­curred in the Dragsvik gar­ri­son of the Ny­land Brigade on 10 Oc­to­ber 2023, in which nine con­scripts ended up in the wa­ter af­ter leav­ing the land­ing craft. One of the con­scripts was un­der wa­ter for ap­prox­i­mately ten min­utes, but the con­script was suc­cess­fully re­sus­ci­tated.

The conscripts were completing a beret march as a part of a level test for coastal jaegers. In previous years, the exercise in question had ended at a gently rising shore with a hard bottom. The exercise in the spring of 2023 ended for the first time at a new location, that is, the shore at the garrison, from which it was easier to return to the garrison. In the exercise that resulted in the accident in the autumn of 2023, the location where the exercise ended remained the same as in the exercise in the spring of 2023.

The Safety Investigation Authority has published a release on the echo sounding of the shore, in which it stated that the shore was difficult for leaving the boat in the way it was done in the exercise.

“After an investigation has ended, we often mention the so-called Swiss cheese model. There were deficiencies at the different stages of drawing up and implementing the exercises: the march was implemented based on old exercises without checking if the old training orders were suitable for the new exercise, for instance. The transport by boat and the landing were not designed to be safe – in practice, the management of the safety of landing falls between the practices applied on land and at sea by the Finnish Defence Forces (in between two service branches). Even if orders remain open to interpretation, it must not prevent the safe implementation of the activities,”, says Investigator-in Charge Kurt Kokko, Executive Director of the Safety Investigation Authority.

“The turnover of the personnel, the hurry and the lack of resources make the orientation of personnel and the transfer of tacit knowledge more difficult. If the orders and instructions are also unclear, they as a whole will not support challenging performances sufficiently. The issue may not necessarily be corrected, either, because people do not learn enough from the mistakes made,” Kokko adds.

As a part of the investigation, the Safety Investigation Authority also investigates the rescue activities carried out. The person was rescued successfully thanks to the conscripts, the 2nd leader of the exercise who happened to arrive on site as well as the expert rescue personnel.

Based on the investigation, the Safety Investigation Authority issues three recommendations to the Finnish Defence Forces. Their aim is to improve the drawing up of training orders, create a more open dialogue and learn from the mistakes made.

Further information

Investigator-in-Charge Kurt Kokko, Executive Director of the Safety Investigation Authority, tel. +358 2951 50701

The Investigator-in-Charge changed on 1 March 2024 when Kai Valonen moved on to other duties.