Becoming more international is a cross-cutting theme in the new strategy period of the National Defence University. In practise, the goal will materialize as a growing number of researcher, teacher and student exchanges with international military institutes. However, the core task of the university will remain the same. We will continue to conduct high-quality research in war sciences and produce experts in military theory and art to the Defence Forces and the Border Guard, thus enhancing security in Finland. This is supported by our interaction with the rest of society.
The new strategy covers the period of 2025-2030. The strategy is an outcome of shared effort by the university leadership, personnel and representatives of stakeholder organizations, who came together to plan the future in various workshops. Our vision for the strategy period is to be an internationally recognized vanguard of military theory and art.
“In NATO, and in the West in general, the security expertise that we have in Finland is in high demand. This is our chance to show what we can”, Rector of the National Defence University, Major General Mika Kalliomaa says.
International recognition can be boosted by having more scientific papers published in international peer-reviewed publications. It is therefore important to secure resources for research in the new strategy period, Kalliomaa says. This can be done for example by external funding and building the network of partners further.
Strategic evolution
Despite the fact that the new strategy underlines the need to develop teaching, research and officer education to respond to changes in our security environment, the new strategy is not radically different from the previous period.
“It became clear to us at the very early stages of planning this new strategy that the previous one for the period of 2020-2025 - even though made before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Finland’s NATO membership - has stood the test of time fairly well. This is what a military academic institution should be, a solid foundation for research and teaching”, General Major Kalliomaa says.
According to Kalliomaa, the National Defence University should always look far ahead. Cadets who start their studies next Autumn will serve in the Defence Forces and the Border Guard for the next 30 years and beyond, so in the officer training, it is also important to prepare the cadets for lifelong learning and continuous personal development. The core value in our officer education is to train professionals to work in a continuously changing world.
