Last week Finland made a surprising military move by calling up 18,000 reservists to undergo a refresher training course. Normally Finland calls up only 6,000 reservist every year to undergo a refresher training course. The move comes amid tensions between Finland and Russia, concerning the situation in eastern Ukraine.
Relations between Finland and Russia have been tense since Russia started reopening military bases along the Finish border as part of the Russian militarization of the Artic Region. Coupled with Russian aggressive maneuvers in the Baltic Region, such as military overflights and alleged submarine incursions in Swedish and Finnish waters, it is only naturally for Finland to step up its security.
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| Finnish troops during a military exercise |
The decision to triple the amount of reservist to undergo a refresher training course from 6,000 to 18,000 reservists is a dramatic increase but isn’t unexpected. In the past three years the Finnish Armed Forces were obliged to make savings. About 2,400 military employees, most of them on staff functions, were let go. The savings made were thus allocated to operational activities, including refresher courses.
This allows Finland to call up 18.000 reservists but this exactly the same level as 2010.
It is not that Finland is suddenly increasing its armed forces. After several years of downsizing and saving money the country is back to the level where it was in 2010. Assistant chief of staff Hannu Hypponen said the military increase was planned three years ago.
It is however true that Finland is concerned about Russia’s behavior and follows the situation in eastern Ukraine closely. Russian military overflights in the Gulf of Finland as well as the alleged spotting of a Russian submarine in Finnish territorial waters have made the country more aware of its military position. Talks about joining NATO are occurring in Finnish politics but popular support for joining NATO is estimated to be around 33%.
Finland uses conscription to keep its Armed Forces staffed, like most countries in the Baltic Region. This allows Finland to operate a small army that can be expanded rapidly in times of distress. These reservist do have to be retrained from time to time in order to be up to date with new tactics, technology and procedures.
Finland has a standing strength of 16,000 troops. Its conscript-centered armed forces can mobilize up to 230,000 combat troops and service personnel within one to four weeks. Military service is compulsory for adult males in Finland. Service generally lasts between six to twelve months. Reservists can be called up for refresher courses lasting five to seven days on average.
