Defence policy

Defence policy measures advance Finland’s security, support national foreign and security policy decisionmaking and create the preconditions for the maintenance and development of the defence capability. Having an active defence policy guarantees a wide range of instruments available to the state leadership and supports the realisation of Finland’s foreign and security policy goals.

The key objectives of Finland’s defence development are the maintenance of a defence capability tailored to our security environment and resources, defence development as part of comprehensive security and the intensi¿cation

of multinational defence cooperation, which also serves the goals of Finland’s crisis management participation.

In the desired end state, in the s Finland will have the capability, respected by the state leadership and others, to defend the country and its independence, sustain the livelihood of its citizens and, in concert with international actors, manage security threats. Finland advances its security by maintaining capable defence forces in accordance with the comprehensive concept of security, by participating in crisis management and through active international cooperation.

The primary objective of the defence capability is to establish deterrence against the use of military force and the threat thereof. Should Finland become the victim of armed aggression the vital functions of society will be protected and the attack will be repelled.

Preparedness against the use of military force, or the threat thereof, requires such military capabilities which raise the threshold against the use of force on Finland and make any military action ineffective. In normal conditions the capabilities needed for territorial surveillance and the protection of territorial integrity are emphasised.

Foreign actors continually evaluate Finland’s defence capability and its development. The assessments of our deterrence comprise a number of factors. At the political and societal level the evaluation includes political and economic stability, the decisionmaking capability, resources allocated to defence, the will to defend the country, and the scope and depth of our international cooperation. The military assessment focuses on the entirety of our military capabilities. The key factors include command and control, intelligence, surveillance and logistics systems, as well as the readiness and mobilisation capability, the level of training and equipment, the capabilities of the units and weapon systems and the skills of the personnel. In particular, the most capable and rapidly deployable troops and weapon systems are able to raise the threshold against the use of force and, if necessary, begin to repel an attack.

As a militarily nonaligned country Finland prepares to repel military threats without outside assistance. Consequently, it maintains all capability areas of the defence system. The nucleus of Finland’s defence is the military defence capability generated by the Defence Forces. The Finnish Defence Forces must retain control over all of the critical capabilities of the military defence system.

Military defence is a part of society’s comprehensive security. Crises increasingly affect all sectors of society, and it is dif¿cult to limit them. While the growing interdependence increases risks and the vulnerability of society, it also enables the bene¿ts that can be obtained through intensifying cooperation.

Securing the vital functions of society, crisis resilience and security of supply as well as guaranteeing critical competence are pivotal factors which also affect defence. Society’s support is critical to the implementation of defence during a crisis, just as the support of the Defence Forces is valuable to securing the effectiveness of the civilian authorities’ activities. It will be increasingly challenging to allocate society’s resources to protracted, wideranging defence activities in the future. The private sector has taken over an evergrowing share and responsibility of society’s critical resources and vital functions. In order to meet the requirements of emergency conditions, cooperation with strategic and other partners, government authorities, businesses and 1G2s is being intensi¿ed. Partnership is a feature of managing wartime capabilities and life cycle costs as well as the costeffectiveness of the defence.

Multinational defence cooperation strengthens the defence capability and ensures the development of military capabilities. In the most important areas cooperation can be achieved via several venues by avoiding unnecessary duplication. By participating in defence cooperation Finland can also inÀuence its content and structures. It is particularly important for Finland to maximise its inÀuence so as to be able to add in the special requirements arising from our defence solution. Interaction within international structures and organisations, for its part, improves our situation awareness and the ability to preemptively inÀuence crisis resolution in the regions of their origin.

Active defence cooperation improves Finland’s deterrence. While the cooperation does not provide any security guarantees, it facilitates the reception of political, military and other assistance should Finland’s resources prove inadequate. In return, Finland must be ready and able to provide military and other assistance to others when required.

Cooperation takes place under the auspices of the E8 and 1AT2 partnership, in regional groups and bilaterally. The E8 and 1AT2 play supportive roles in multinational projects. Tangible collaboration between willing partners occurs in country groupings, of which the most important from Finland’s perspective is the 1ordic defence cooperation arrangement 12RDEFC2. 2ther important cooperation partners for Finland are especially the 8nited States and the countries in 1orthern Europe. Cooperation promotes military interoperability, the creation and development of capabilities, and strengthens our faculty for

international crisis management participation. 1AT2 standards and procedures are the mainstay of interoperability.

1ordic defence cooperation has signi¿cantly intensi¿ed in recent years. 1ordic cooperation attempts to achieve synergies while aiming to gain operational, economic, technical and industrial added value. This collaboration also strives for interoperability which would facilitate intensi¿ed and more wideranging cooperation to supplement national defence solutions and capabilities. 1ordic cooperation areas are the following: defence policy, strategic development, capabilities, human resources and education, training and exercises, and operations. The 1ordic countries are, politically and militarily, deeply committed to the development and intensi¿cation of defence cooperation. Finland is an active participant in this process.

Multinational exercises and international rapid response force pools will become increasingly important as vehicles for maintaining and improving interoperability.

The Defence Forces develop their capabilities and interoperability, especially by participating in the E8’s battle groups and in activities supplementing the 1AT2 Response Force 1RF, and associated exercises.

Participation in military crisis management strengthens Finland’s defence capability. The goal of preparation and implementation is to guarantee the effectiveness of the participation. The quantitative and qualitative goals of operational participation are set on a casebycase basis.