Finland will continue to participate in international military and civilian crisis management under the auspices of the EU, the UN, NATO and the OSCE. Finland’s approach will emphasise comprehensive crisis management and the necessity and impact of activities. By participating in international crisis management operations and missions, Finland will promote social stability, peace, human rights, the rule of law and equality in conflict areas. Crisis management builds the capacities of fragile states and enhances their ability to repel security threats, including terrorism, cross-border organised crime and uncontrolled migration, and fosters conditions for the sustainable return of migrants. At the same time, it is possible to develop the interoperability of Finnish soldiers and the readiness of staff to cooperate with the authorities of other countries.
In the future, attention will be increasingly paid to the effectiveness of crisis management and its assessment will be developed. Finland emphasises the significance of support to the existing security structures in crisis areas, to the development of rule of law and training of security actors. The objective is to strengthen the target countries' own capabilities.
Participation in international military crisis management and peacekeeping has become an important part of Finland's security policy. Since 1956, Finland has participated in more than forty peacekeeping or crisis management operations and it has been entrusted with important tasks in operation management.
Finland has currently approximately 400 soldiers participating in ten military crisis management operations within the frameworks of the UN, the EU and NATO. The largest Finnish contingent, around 200 soldiers, is in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Other significant operations include NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR) where Finland has around 70 soldiers and the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine) where Finland has up to 60 soldiers. The evolving operating environment, the increasing challenges and the diversifying needs for crisis management have also added to the need for national decisions in accordance with the Act on Decision-Making on International Assistance, Cooperation or Other International Activities (418/2017).
The Ministry of Defence is responsible for the political preparation, steering and monitoring of military crisis management participation and for ensuring resources unless the tasks fall within the competence of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The Defence Forces are responsible for the practical preparation and implementation of military crisis management duties. Participation in crisis management operations is financed separately from the main title appropriations of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defence, which are separate from the other appropriations of the administrative branches. Participation in crisis management requires diverse capabilities. While developing internationally compatible and diverse military capabilities that meet high quality requirements, Finland takes actively part in international crisis management and multinational exercises. As military crisis management mainly uses the same resources that have been allocated to national defence, participation in crisis management provides valuable experience.
The readiness to participate is based on maintaining different types of troops; at a preliminary phase, suitable personnel can be found from a pool of volunteers and materiel reservation is based on experiences gained. Finland's Rapid Deployment Force has been entered in the force registers of the UN and the EU. Based on the types of troops maintained, a Finnish crisis management team to be deployed is set up, equipped and trained in line with the requirements of each operation.
Read more about EU crisis management operations in the EU cooperation section.
In an international environment, the need for more diverse and demanding military crisis management has increased. Crisis management requires even greater flexibility, speed of response and continuous adaptation to the changing security situation. This also requires Finland to adopt new practices. In addition to existing capabilities, Finland will invest in developing capabilities and units requiring specialisation. In addition to specialisation, the further development of international crisis management capabilities requires closer multinational cooperation and rapid response.
Under the Act on Military Crisis Management, Finland can participate under the mandate of the UN Security Council, or exceptionally in other international military crisis management. In addition, Finland can contribute with military resources to humanitarian assistance or to protecting such operations. The Act on Military Crisis Management does not apply to military activities carried out under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
Participation in a new operation always requires a separate decision at the national level. The decision to participate is usually made by the President of the Republic on a Government proposal. Before submitting the proposal, the Government shall consult the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee. After consulting the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence may decide to second individual military personnel to military tasks of limited nature in military crisis management or similar tasks in other international crisis management. If the crisis management operation is particularly demanding in military terms or it is not based on the UN Security Council mandate, the Government must consult the entire Parliament by submitting a report.
