With the aim of an even stronger land defence

The Finnish Army’s major project over the next decade aims for reforming the entire land defence. Implemented between 2025 and 2035, development work is to build on a realistic threat assessment, technological progress, and close cooperation with allies and the defence industry.

From a threat-based starting point, the Army will be developed based on up-to-date lessons identified concerning the character of war and modern warfare, national and NATO guidance, readiness and warfighting capability, defence cooperation, innovation and technological progress, as well as resources available. The development of the Army will be carried out while maintaining the ability to change, with an emphasis on building land defence procurement capacity and commissioning readiness, enhanced strike capability, necessary upgrades of infrastructure, and improvement of materiel self-sufficiency under emergency conditions.

Threat-based development

The reforms of land defence are based on the assessment of military threats to Finland. At the heart of development will be training, indirect fire capabilities, and the development of unmanned systems. The Army has a good situational picture of the prevailing threat as well as of modern battlefield requirements. Lessons identified from the war in Ukraine and other recent armed conflicts inform planning, but the development work will be adapted to Finland’s specific circumstances – general liability for military service, northern terrain, and support provided by allies.

Strong national and NATO guidance supporting the reforms

National defence policy guidance concerning land defence is based, on one hand, on the most recent Government Defence Report, and, on the other hand, on the criteria of the Finnish Defence Forces’ development programme. On this basis, the starting point for all reforms has been recorded in the Army’s development plan. The targets set by NATO’s Defence Planning Process for land forces have also been integrated into these reference documents.

Readiness and warfighting capability

The Finnish defence system, and thereby also the Army, are required to sustain high readiness and capability for sustained long lasting warfare. At the same time, Finland must with its allies preserve a qualitative and quantitative technological advantage preventing a slide into a war of attrition. Development of land defence capabilities considers requirements set by NATO’s defence planning for the quantity and quality of capabilities, observations concerning Russia’s offensive war campaign in Ukraine, and assessment of development of Russia’s warfare. These requirements increase the need to raise the degree of self-sufficiency, to deepen cooperation with the defence industry, to draw on disruptive technologies, and to develop multinational solutions.

Army as part of multilateral defence cooperation

The ongoing development of armed forces and their land forces among Finland’s allies opens up new possibilities for Finland while it also sets obligations and expectations. Timely cooperation enables cost-effective implementation of multilateral projects and of capabilities’ development strategy. This is of considerable relevance in defence materiel cooperation. Over the next years, Finland and its allies will have an excellent opportunity to make choices concerning the scale and depth of interoperability, compatibility, and commonality of materiel, as the Alliance raises its capability.

Technology and innovations

Engineering and technological shift and change enable renewing capabilities and tactics, techniques, and procedures. The Finnish Army has a good basis of knowledge of the available task organised equipment, the capabilities of different systems, their availability, and costs. The Army meets all criteria to reach accountable decisions concerning capability choices. In the Army, as in the Defence Forces, research and development and innovation are underway on advanced technology -based, unmanned, remotely controlled, and autonomous systems for versatile missions. These systems are being developed in a coordinated manner to benefit all services and public sector authorities with regard to international regulation.

Resources and cooperation

NATO’s decision to increase defence spending opens up positive prospects for Finland to strengthen land defence. Cooperation with allies offers scope for cost-efficient joint procurement, commonality of materiel, and deeper compatibility. One of the starting points of the reforming is to develop a balanced and sustainable, capable land force – including personnel, operations, materiel, and infrastructure. Accountability with regard to future generations must be reflected both in up-to-date modern fighting power and cost burden sustainable in society.

With the aim of credible deterrence capability

The goal of the Army is to prevent a land attack on Finland. This requires modernising equipment, force structures, and procedures, while ensuring readiness and capability for sustained long-term warfighting. The reforms involve a broad and forward-looking process, but the objectives remain achievable: land defence that is stronger, more modern, and interoperable with allies, and secures the whole of the territory.