Return to page Areas of expertise Conscription system and military training The Finnish Defence Forces trains those liable for military service for homeland defence tasks. This training is called the conscript service. All 18–65-year-old Finnish m...

Areas of expertise Finland’s membership in NATO Finland’s security environment was fundamentally altered when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Based on a reassessment of the security policy situation, Finland decided to ap...

Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen Photo: Lauri Heikkinen / Prime Minister's Office Since 20.6.2023, Antti Häkkänen has served as Minister of Defence. Curriculum Vitae Date and place of birth 1985 Mäntyharju Profession and education Lawyer Master ...

Mission statement of the Ministry of Defence The Ministry of Defence is in charge of the Finnish defence administration which is tasked with keeping Finland safe. Finland is a militarily allied country that develops its own defence capability as p...

Contact information for the Ministry of Defence Ministry of Defence Eteläinen Makasiinikatu 8 PO Box 31 FIN-00131 Helsinki, Finland Postal address: PO Box 31 FIN-00131 Helsinki, Finland E-invoice document (pdf) (153.1 KB) Official e-mail: kirjaamo...

Senior Officer for Legal Affairs Anna Gau 2.3.2023 13.17 Blog 1. Who are you? I am Anna Gau and I work as a Senior Officer for Legal Affairs at the Legal Unit of the Administration Policy Department. I have a Master of Laws degree from the Univers...

Departments and Units Administration Policy Department Director of Department: Teemu Penttilä The Administration Policy Department of the Ministry of Defence of Finland is responsible for the planning of defence administration operations and finan...

Return to page Areas of expertise Finland’s membership in NATO Finland’s security environment was fundamentally altered when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Based on a reassessment of the security policy situation, Finlan...

21.1.2026 | Universal Conscription in Norway By Colonel Odd Inge Botillen Defence Staff Norway Content • Historical backdrop • Recent developments • Current situation • Conclusion Defence Staff Norway Historical backdrop  The Norwegian conscription system of...

10.7.2025 | Government proposal: the Conscription Act will be amended with regard to Åland residents and persons whose gender has been legally recognised Ministry of Defence Publication date 10.7.2025 13.48 Type: Press release On 10 July 2025, the Finnish Gov...

16.1.2026 | 1 MTS:n asevelvollisuusseminaari 26.2.2014 Col Bo Stennabb, Defence Attaché Asevelvollisuudesta ammattiarmeijaan – kokemuksia Ruotsista (Från värnplikt till yrkesarmé – erfarenheter från Sverige) 2 Yesterday Today 3 4 The Armed Forces’ Personnel. ...

27.5.2026 | 1 1 Advisory Board for Defence Information (ABDI) ANNUAL REPORT 2025 Approved by the Work Branch on 8 May 2026 GENERAL INFORMATION The Advisory Board for Defence Information (ABDI) acts as a parliamentary forum that organises dialogue on security ...

13.11.2025 | 1 INTRODUCTION TO THE SURVEY The opinions of Finns about the foreign, security and defence policy of Finland and the Defence Forces’ reform were studied in the interview survey by the Advisory Board of Defence Information, ABDI (Maanpuolustustiedo...

13.11.2025 | 1 INTRODUCTION TO THE SURVEY The opinions of Finns about the foreign, security and defence policy of Finland and the reform of the Defence Forces were studied in an interview survey that was commissioned by the Advisory Board of Defence Informatio...

13.4.2026 | The Finnish call-up process will have two parts in the future. The first part will be a call-up information day for the whole age group, providing young people with more information about homeland defence. The second part, the call-up day proper, will be organised later for men liable for military service and for women applying for voluntary military service. The call-up information day will be piloted in Espoo, Iisalmi and Jyväskylä in autumn 2026.

13.11.2025 | 1 The Advisory Board of Defence Information (ABDI) FINNS` OPINIONS ON FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY, NATIONAL DEFENCE AND SECURITY The Advisory Board for Defence Information (ABDI) Bulletins and reports December, 2016 ISBN 978-951-25-2832-5 (pdf) 2 ...

16.1.2026 | F i n n i s h B o r d e r G u a r d N o r t h K a r e l i a B o r d e r G u a r d D i s t r i c t C o l o n e l M a t t i P i t k ä n i i t t y C o m ma n d e r o f t h e D i s t r i c t SAFETY AND SECURITY IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES Operational environ...

21.1.2026 | Comprehensive Security in Finland – Centre of Excellence 23.09.2025 Asko Muhonen Senior Specialist, Colonel (ret) City of Kuopio Finland Key Aspects of The Finnish Concept A Whole-of-Society Approach: A model, in which the vital functions of socie...

5.3.2026 | The Finnish Government has appointed Otto Saxén, M.Soc.Sc., as Director General of the Defence Policy Department at the Ministry of Defence for a five-year term from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2031.

13.11.2025 | THE ADVISORY BOARD FOR DEFENCE INFORMATION Bulletins and reports November, 2017 1/ 20 17 FINNS`OPINIOS ON FOREING AND SECURITY POLICY, NATIONAL DEFENCE AND SECURITY ABDI (MTS) Ministry of Defence, Helsinki 2017 Finns̀ opinios on foreing and securi...