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Finland NATIONAL SECURITY
Armed Forces (1988): Defense Forces consist of
army of
30,000 troops (22,300 conscripts), navy of 2,700 (1,300
conscripts), and air force of 2,500 (1,300 conscripts). In
time
of crisis or hostilities, Fast Deployment Forces of
250,000 could
be mobilized in two to three days. Full mobilization of
700,000
could be carried out in a week. Frontier Guard
(Rajavartiolaitos-
-RVL) of 4,500 (11,500 on mobilization) would come under
military
command.
Treaty Commitments: By 1947 Treaty of Paris,
active
Finnish armed forces limited to 41,900 persons, total
warship
tonnage to 10,000 tons, and combat aircraft to 60.
Offensive
weapons such as bombers and submarines prohibited. The
1948
Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance
(FCMA)
with Soviet Union commits Finland, with Soviet assistance
if
needed, to repel aggression by Germany or any state allied
to it.
Conscription and Reserves: Over 90 percent of
Finnish
men perform eight months of military service at age twenty
(eleven months for officers and noncommissioned officers
in
reserves). Reserve obligation continues until at least age
fifty.
Younger reservists subject to periodic refresher training.
Standing Forces: In 1988 army organized into 7
light
infantry and 1 armored brigade, each with 1,500 to 2,000
men in
peacetime, plus independent infantry battalions, field and
coast
artillery, and antiaircraft units. In wartime would
consist of an
estimated 20 to 25 brigades at full strength of 6,800
each, plus
70 independent light infantry battalions of 800 each, and
other
specialized units. Navy has two corvettes, eight missile
boats,
fast patrol craft, minelayers, and minesweepers. Air Force
consists of sixty fighters organized into three squadrons,
forty-seven jet training-reconnaissance aircraft
convertible to
attack role, and small fleet of transport and liaison
aircraft.
Sources of Equipment: Finland produces close to
40
percent of its own equipment, including light arms,
artillery,
vehicles, munitions, hulls, and light aircraft. Soviet
Union
supplies about half of imports, including tanks and
armored
vehicles, missiles, and MiG aircraft. Remainder comes from
West,
including Sweden (fighter aircraft and missiles), Britain
(jet
trainers), France (radar and missiles), and United States
(electronics and antitank missiles).
Defense Expenditures: In 1988 defense budget of
US$1.47
billion was about 1.5 percent of gross national product
and 5.5
percent of total government budget. Defense spending low
relative
to other countries of Europe.
Internal Security: Police are part of national
government and operate under control of Ministry of
Interior.
Local police, supervised by provincial authorities and
organized
into town police departments and rural police districts,
manage
routine police work. Operating at national level and
assisting
local police when necessary are Mobile Police
(Liikkuva--LP),
responsible for traffic safety and riot control; Security
Police
(Suojelupoliisi--SUPO), charged with preventing subversion
and
espionage; and Central Criminal Police
(Keskusrikospoliisi--KRP),
able to mount extensive investigations, with advanced
technical
means when required, and maintain centralized criminal
files and
contacts with foreign police forces. RVL and Coast Guard,
also
under Ministry of Interior, responsible for security in
border
areas and have military role in
wartime.
Data as of December 1988
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