In Finland, defense is everyone’s responsibility. Many countries, including Canada, are interested in its comprehensive security model as the new geopolitics shake the planet.
Published on March 14 at 5:00.
Bang, bang, bang! The targets fall one by one. The smell of gunpowder lingers in the air.
The cold, humidity, and wind paralyze the fingers. But that doesn’t stop the participants in this winter competition for reservists from pressing the trigger of their weapon after running and crawling in the snow.
We are in the countryside, about an hour north of Helsinki. About sixty competitors in military uniforms, first aid kits at their waist, are deployed on different outdoor plateaus replicating combat situations reservists might face.
“As long as I am fit enough to do something for my country, I will do it,” assures 55-year-old Sami Saellinen, vice president of the Vantaa Reservists Association, which saw its membership increase by 70% to 2,300 since the invasion of Ukraine.
“With the war in Ukraine, many women have realized they were in a vulnerable situation if they did not have the skills to prepare themselves and their families,” says Nicole San Juan, a 35-year-old participant in the competition.
The Finnish Defense Forces have always maintained compulsory military service for men, unlike other European countries that have recently reintroduced it either compulsorily (Lithuania, Sweden, Croatia) or voluntarily (France, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany).
Finland has a secret weapon: the “sisu.” Described as a powerful blend of courage and perseverance, determination, mental and spiritual strength, perseverance, and stoic demonstration of sheer will, the “sisu” is the essence of the Finnish spirit.
The famous phrase by John F. Kennedy comes to mind: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
The flag of Ukraine flies over public buildings in Helsinki in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. The Russian invasion has brought back bad memories in Finland.
The future of European security will be determined by events in Ukraine, according to defense expert Jarno Limnell. Imperialist policies in the Kremlin could lead to further actions in the Baltic countries, Finland, or elsewhere.
Finland’s stance on accepting nuclear weapons on its territory will play a significant role in shaping its security future.
