The Finnish Defence Forces and NATO

The primary objective of the process has been to facilitate the integration of the Finnish Defence Forces with NATO, allowing its participation in NATO operations on par with the armed forces of other member states. During the process, the Finnish Defence Forces has received information from NATO about its operations and support in preparing for participation. The activities of the Finnish Defence Forces have been integrated with NATO since July 2022 as part of the military integration process.

Most of the equipment of the Finnish Defence Forces is NATO compatible, as are the forces’ operating procedures. Extending NATO’s collective defence to Finland, however, requires certain changes with regard to legislation, command structure and personnel, for example. 

During the military integration process, comprehensive integration has been implemented in different branches in the Defence Forces. Examples of entities that have undergone preparation are as follow:

Personnel branch
-Increase in the number of personnel in NATO serving in national tasks 
- Preparations related to assigning personnel to NATO structures
- Planning involving additional personnel needed in Finland.
- Preparation for the establishment of Gender in the Defence Forces.
-Increasing resources for language testing involving personnel serving in NATO tasks

Operations
- Continuation of information exchange and development of situational awareness sharing
- Participation in operational planning
- Continuation of liaison officer activities
- preparation for participating in the NATO troops formation process
- preparation for participating in NATO’s peacetime collective defence tasks 
-Enhancing joint operating in cyber defence

Logistics
Harmonization of national branch norms with NATO norms and achieving new national norms as necessary. 
-Maintaining and developing host nation support arrangements.
-Preparation of medical-branch national organizations and enhancement of expertise

Plans
- Participation in the NATO Defence Planning Process.
- Participation in NATO standardization.
- Preparation of the harmonization of NATO defence planning and of the national long-term capabilities development process.

Command and control systems
- Development of the connectivity of national and NATO command and control systems
- Extension of the availability of NATO command and control services 
- Development of national information management

Training branch
Harmonization of national branch norms with NATO norms 
Reviewing of the contents of military personnel’s basic training. 
- Analysis of the personnel’s competency development needs
- Increasing the personnel’s training and NATO expertise
Harmonization of the national planning process involving exercise activities with the NATO process
- Increasing the number of national personnel involved in the evaluation of troops

Legal branch
-Participation in the work of updating legislation related to defence administration 
- Updating agreements determining cooperation and preparation of new agreements
- Participation in the preparation of the national implementation of NATO SOFA and the Paris Protocol.
 

With Finland as a member of the Alliance, the process of integrating the Defence Forces with NATO will continue for years to come, even if the formal process has come to a close by the signing of a joint declaration. 

The process was brought to a close, because it has proceeded according to plan and the Defence Forces does not need any more special support for integration.

The most important effect of possible NATO membership would be that Finland is part of NATO's common defence and is covered by the security guarantees under Article 5. The preventive effect of Finland's defence would be much greater than it is today. NATO's greatest importance to defense capabilities would be capabilities that a small country cannot afford to acquire independently.

Military alliances do not detract from the need for a strong defense of their own. Finland's military defence remains the core task of the Defence Forces, and Finland continues to decide on the principles for the implementation of military national defence itself. We have maintained and will continue to maintain and develop a strong defence capability and continue bilateral and multilateral defence cooperation. Nor does NATO membership mean abandoning general conscription. Participation in NATO operations shall be based on national decision-making. 

The defence cooperation network that has been built up over the years has proven to be important for the tightened security situation. Military defence cooperation, including exercise and armament cooperation, strengthens Finland's national defence and improves the capabilities required by law to provide and receive military assistance if necessary. 

The core task of the Finnish Defence Forces will continue to be the military defence of Finland.  However, as a Nato member, Finland also prepares to defend its allies. The article 5 of the Washington treaty states that an attack against one Nato member will be concidered as an attack against all member states. 

Finland will bear its share of the alliance's common defence obligations in proportion to the size of its economy. Finland also participates in Nato's common defence tasks in times of peace in a manner agreed separately.

Participation in Nato crisis management operations is voluntary for member states. Finland decides independently on sending troops to Nato operations. Nato is an intergovernmental organization that does not have supranational decision-making power. Finland already has long participated in Nato crisis management operations, such as the ongoing KFOR operation. 

The focus will be on extending Nato's common defence to Finland. The military integration is a process that will take years. Similar process has been conducted with every new member state since 2004. Finland will continue to be primarly responsible for the defence of its territory.

The Finnish system based on general conscription will remain. Also in the future, conscripts will be trained for the defence of Finland. International training activites and other cooperation will increase, so English will be used more often in the future.

Organization and contents of the training will be harmonized with Nato doctrines, standards and procedures when needed. The Nato membership will also be taken into account in security policy education given to the conscripts. 

The fundamentals of conscription and voluntary service for women will not change with Nato membership. In other words, the membership does not affect the service arrangements or status of conscripts. 

The reservists are trained for the defence of Finland also in the future. Nato offers civilian jobs that are open for all applicants from every member state that meet the requirments for the positions. 

It is too early to comment on the possible use of the reservists in Nato's military activities. 

Personnel of the Finnish Defence Forces will be placed to the Nato command structure as well as in NATO's troop composition and organs. In the near future, the number of employees will be around one hundred. The current domestic command structure will mostly remain, but the membership will most likely increase the number of people employed by the Finnish Defence forces in all staff groups. The changes will be a gradual over the years. 

Nato membership increases deterrence and prevents military crisis. However, Finland will remain commited to maintaining its own defence capabilities.

The biggest impacts of Nato membership are the force multiplier effect of allied forces and capabilities that a small country caannot acquire independently. These include broader intelligence capabilities, airborne surveillance, space capabilities and submarine capabilities. 

Nato does not dictate, what it's members should acquire. However, it guides the developement of the capabilities of its member states through the defence planning process. 

The process does not guide the acquisition of any specific equipment, but more generally, the kind of capabilities the armed forces of member states should develop and acquire, so that Natos Supreme Allied Commander Europe could have access to the required forces if needed. 

Each member state is responsible for the surveillance and protection of its own territory. Finland has a functional and tested territorial surveillance system. 

Should the situation require, Finland is able to request support from the alliance. Nato member states and the alliance itself have capabilites that can compliment our own system, increase warning time, and enhance the scope of surveillance and situational awareness.

The most significant change is broader and more frequent participation of international troops in excercises in Finland. The participation of Finnish troops in excercise activities abroad does not necessarily increase, but the excercises will focus more on the obligations set by the Finnish membership. The planning is still in the beginning and will continue during the military integration. 

Nato member states have agreed to spend at least 2 % of GDP on defence. On the long term, Finland has been under this level. However, in the following years, the level will be met due to the agreed additional funding and strategic acquisition of new material.

More information about the costs of Nato membership can be found on the Finnish Government's website. 

The Finnish Defence Forces already meet Nato's military criteria: we have a strong national defence of our own and are adapted with the armed forces of different Nato countries. The equipment of the Defence Forces is essentially Nato compatible, as is the modus operandi of the troops. In the Finnish Defence Forces' materiel projects, this has also been a requirement for a long time.

The command structure of the Finnish Defence Forces will be coordinated with Nato where necessary. Spesific changes will become clear during the military integration process.

The languages used in every day service will continue to be Finnish and Swedish. When dealing with Nato and in certaing special cases, English can be used. Part of the planning and instructions will be done in English in the future.

The biggest need for change is in the way of thinking. We are not alone anymore, but rateher part of a defence alliance.  

Finland's memebership will support the defence of the alliance and significantly simplify its planning in the Baltic and Nordic regions. Finland has a credible defence force relative to its size and a very high level of national defence willingness in international comparison.  

The visual identity and logos are national matters for Nato member countries. Nato logos will not be visible on uniforms. The exception to this is personnel serving in Nato organizations. Similarly, the Nato flag is not displayed on Finnish Defence Force premises except when Nato personnel are visiting. 

Nato treaties do not impose such obligations on a Nato member state. Decisions are taken at national level by a Member State on a national basis and in accordance with its national legal order. In the case of Nato bases or weapons systems that may be located in Finland, the matters will be carefully examined as the negotiations progress.

Nato treaties do not impose obligations on a member state to place nuclear weapons on its territory. Should this kind of consideration become relevant, a member state would make decisions based on national considerations. 

It is important to note that participating in Nato's nuclear planning does not entail the deployment of nuclear weapons on the territory of a member state.