Finnish Armed Forces: numbers, terms of conscription and weapons

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:48

The Finnish Armed Forces or, as they are officially called, the Finnish Defense Forces, cannot boast of a rich and long history. As such, they appeared relatively recently. But still, over the past time they have achieved good results and can boast of very serious equipment. Therefore, it will not be superfluous to tell about them in more detail.

Army History

Throughout their history, the Finns have been quite a warlike people. Which is not surprising - after all, their neighbors were Scandinavians and Russians. And armed conflicts constantly occurred with these peoples.

Some time after joining the Russian Empire (in 1809), the army was absent here as such. Therefore, the beginning of the armed forces of Finland as an independent state was laid only in 1918 - exactly 100 years ago.

After that, she had to go through a baptism of fire in a fight with a really formidable enemy - the USSR. The war lasted six months - from autumn 1939 to spring 1940. Of course, Finland could not fail to lose. However, the high military spirit shedemonstrated.

A year later, the country had the opportunity to pay for the grievances - she sided with the Third Reich and took an active part in the war against the Soviet Union. True, in 1944, when the front line shifted to the west, Finland had to make peace with the enemy - the Moscow Truce was signed, according to which the country was withdrawing from the war.

After that, the history of the Finnish armed forces can no longer boast of bright moments and feats. Although the Finns participated in UN peacekeeping operations, they no longer differed in major battles - after leaving the Second World War (and this is almost three quarters of a century ago), the army lost less than fifty soldiers and officers who died.

Number to date

Now fast forward to the present and first of all tell about the size of the Finnish army.

In general, the country's armed forces are quite developed, although not too numerous. They consist of land, naval and air forces. Special bodies, also part of the army, stand apart.

Despite numerous protests and demands to abandon the draft recruitment of the defense forces, the country's leadership continues this proven practice. Therefore, most of the Armed Forces are staffed with conscripts.

The total number of defense forces today is 34,000 people. Only 8,000 of them are professional soldiers. Another four thousand account for the share of civil servants. The rest are 22000are conscripts.

According to the estimates of the Ministry of Defense, if necessary, in just 2-3 days, the number of military personnel can be significantly increased thanks to the mobilization of reservists - up to 340 thousand people. Quite a serious indicator for a country with a population of about five million people! Although much less than just twenty years ago - then this figure was about half a million people.

Urgent service

As mentioned above, the Finnish Armed Forces are recruited mainly from conscripts. The service is mandatory for all guys, starting from 18 years old, who are fit for he alth and do not have relevant contraindications. The only exception is the population of the Alan Islands - people from there are not required to serve.

The service life is quite short - only six months. But if a young man does not want to go to the army and he prefers alternative service, then he will have to spend much more time here - a whole year. But still, many people choose the second option, since it is associated with less physical and psychological stress and is not associated with danger.

Border guards are the elite of any army

The frontier troops in any country are the shield against which the first blow falls. Therefore, their preparation and configuration are of particular importance. Finland is no exception.

The number of border troops is quite small - only 3100 people. Moreover, more than half a thousand of them are paramilitary formations. More aboutthe same number of conscripts. On the other hand, many officers went through the Rovaj RVI training center of the Finnish Armed Forces, which is considered very prestigious.

Border guards are not officially part of the army and are not subordinate to the Ministry of Defense. They report directly to the President of the State. But in the event of the introduction of martial law, the border troops will be transferred to the armed forces. Surely many will be surprised by such a system. However, in fact, it cannot be called new and unusual.

For example, in the USSR, the border troops on the eve of the Great Patriotic War were also not part of the Armed Forces - they belonged to the NKVD of the state. The Finns appreciated the merits of this approach and completely copied it.

Technical equipment is very good for such a small number. Finnish border guards have six patrol ships, sixty patrol boats, and seven hovercraft. They also have at their disposal two German aircraft and eleven helicopters - French and American production.

In general, the powers and duties of border guards are quite wide and varied. In addition to the usual protection of the state border, there is a list of other goals. For example, passport control and physical training of conscripts. Moreover, they are also preparing scouts and partisans for work in the occupied territories. In addition, they are required to investigate any crimes related to the border. And in small settlements, they also carry out customs control.

In the northern regions of the country, border guardsundergo special training for rescue operations.

Additionally, the rights of policemen fall on the shoulders of the border service. For example, military personnel have the right to interrogate suspects and search apartments. However, there is a certain limitation here - only high-ranking military officers are vested with police powers - from the head of the border detachment and above.

In emergencies, border guards may be called upon to conduct police operations.

The main small arms of the Finnish border guard is a local modification of the Kalashnikov assault rifle - RK 95 TP.

Ground Forces

As in most armies of the world, it is the Finnish ground forces that are the most numerous - they serve 24,500 people. They are consolidated into four commands - according to the territorial principle. They are called simply and uncomplicated - North, South, West and East. Each command is divided into brigades, and those are already into regiments. The brigade consists of about 2,300 people, of which 1,700 are conscripts.

The Utti Regiment of Jaegers is considered part of the special purpose. He reports directly to the command of the ground forces. It includes a jaeger battalion, a supply company and an army aviation battalion.

Aviation is the queen of heaven

It is foolish to argue about the importance of aviation in modern combat. The leadership of the Finnish army is well aware of this - the Air Force is equipped with obsolete aircraft, but there are enough of them.many and kept in perfect condition.

Mostly used American and British aircraft. The main strike power is assigned to 56 F / A-18C - multi-role fighters. In fact, this is a Finnish remake of the American F / A-18 Hornet aircraft, which is produced under license. True, it was developed almost half a century ago, so, of course, it cannot compete with modern analogues. In addition, there are 58 British-produced Hawk trainers. Two F-27 passenger planes from the Netherlands are used to transport military personnel and are also part of the Air Force.

However, there are also Finnish specialists' own developments. First of all, these are 28 Valmet L-70 and 9 Valmet L-90 Redigo aircraft. However, they are all training and not combat.

The Finnish Air Force has 121 aircraft in total. Very good for such a small country. The Air Force also includes 3850 people.

A few words about armored vehicles

Armored vehicles have been a weighty argument in any conflict for more than a decade. Therefore, the Finnish military also does not forget about high-quality equipment.

The main tank is the German "Leopard 2A4" - a proven and reliable vehicle. Designed in the 1970s, it is still one of the most successful tanks in the world.

Finnish experts recognize the high quality of Soviet technology. The state is armed with 92 BMP-2s. Although the machine was developed some forty years ago, its excellent technicalcharacteristics and high firepower make it a truly formidable weapon when used correctly.

Also, the Finnish armored forces are equipped with ten armored reconnaissance vehicles and 613 armored personnel carriers.

Who guards the sea

In total, in peacetime, the Finnish Navy has 6700 people - of which only 2400 officers and contractors. The remaining 4,300 people are conscripts. All of them are divided into two commands - the first refers to the Archipelago Sea (the command is located in the city of Turku), and the second to the Gulf of Finland (Upinniemi). In addition, the Uusimaa brigade, consisting of marines and coastal artillery, is part of the Navy.

It cannot be said that the Finnish Navy is particularly strong - they are primarily aimed at defensive actions and creating problems for a potential enemy when entering from the sea. Therefore, the main strike power is concentrated in just eight Hamina and Rauma-class missile boats.

But there are five minelayers, which should block the approach to the country's coast from the sea. Thirteen minesweepers are used to fight minefields.

An interesting feature of the Navy is a large number of light, fast landing craft - their main task is to work in skerry areas, which are very numerous on the coast of Finland.

Global Modernization

It is worth saying that the leadership of the state is very serious about the modernization of the army. Every year, the maintenance and improvement of the army is spentmore than 3 billion euros - a very large amount for a small state.

Therefore, in the coming years, among the weapons of the Finnish Armed Forces, for example, the American Stinger MANPADS should appear - 127 million dollars were allocated for this.

Negotiations are also underway with the Netherlands on the purchase of German Leopard 2A6 tanks, which have been repaired and modernized. It is planned to purchase a hundred cars - a very serious power.

In the 2020s, the purchase of new ships that are more in line with modern requirements is planned. And by the early 2030s, the Department of Defense plans to upgrade the Air Force, replacing outdated Hornet fighters.

Rejection of NATO membership

Despite numerous invitations, Finland still has not become a member of NATO. First of all, the leadership of the state explains such a decision by the fact that they do not want to spoil relations with such an influential neighbor as Russia.

In general, it is worth saying that service in the Finnish army is not particularly prestigious. Despite high salaries even by local standards, the Armed Forces are constantly short of regular military personnel. First of all, this is due to the fact that most of the men of the once formidable and warlike people simply refuse to join the army, whose activities are associated with constant danger and serious physical exertion.