18.11.2025 | Finland has decided to use EUR one billion in financing from the EU’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) financial instrument to strengthen the defence industry. The plan is to use the financing for multinational joint procurement that will strengthen Finland’s ground combat capabilities and for developing drone performance capabilities in cooperation with Ukraine and its allies. The Ministerial Committee on Economic Policy decided on the matter on Tuesday 18 November.

1.9.2026 | On 1 September 2026, the Government of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo reached a decision on its budget proposal for 2027 and is steadily implementing the agenda it agreed at the spending limits session. The agenda includes EUR 100 million of investment in construction and numerous transport infrastructure projects. The Government’s targeted measures will support economic growth.

25.9.2025 | European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius will meet with Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen in Helsinki on Friday 26 September.

1.4.2025 | The security environment in Finland and Europe has changed fundamentally. Russia poses a long-term threat to Europe. This requires the Government to take action. Finland will continue to strengthen its defence on a threat-informed and needs-driven basis.

13.11.2024 | New trilateral arrangement formalizes collaboration on the production of Arctic and polar icebreakers

2.9.2025 | The Government of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has reached a decision on its budget proposal for 2026. The Government’s decisions aim to support economic growth, which is picking up. Supporting economic growth and continuing responsible fiscal management is necessary to ensure the security of people in Finland and safeguard their access to important services going forward.

18.4.2024 | In its plenary session on Thursday 18 April, the Government appointed Pasi Rajala, Master of Social Sciences, and Antti Salminen, Information Systems Auditor, to serve as state secretaries. Pasi Rajala will serve as State Secretary to Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen and Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen, and Antti Salminen as State Secretary to Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen and Minister of Economic Affairs Wille Rydman.

3.9.2024 | The 2025 budget proposal of Prime Minister Orpo's Government bolsters conditions for economic growth. Economic growth driven by the private sector will also serve to secure the financing base for central government finances. The fast-acting measures to curb indebtedness that were decided on due to the difficult situation in central government finances will move forward.

6.7.2023 | In its plenary session on 6 July, the Government appointed Master of Social Sciences Lauri Tierala as State Secretary to Minister of Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen and Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen. His term of office will begin on 6 July and continue for the duration of the Ministers' term of office.

5.1.2023 | On Thursday 5 January, the President of the Republic appointed Member of Parliament Mikko Savola (BBA) to serve as the new Minister of Defence. The President of the Republic also released Antti Kaikkonen from his duties as Minister of Defence and as a member of the Government.

28.2.2023 | On Tuesday 28 February, the President of the Republic reappointed Member of Parliament Antti Kaikkonen to serve as Minister of Defence. The President also released Mikko Savola from his duties as Minister of Defence and as a member of the Government.

19.9.2023 | In its first budget session, the Government of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo decided on solutions that will return Finland to a sustainable growth track. The Government will launch structural reforms to boost employment and growth, which will have positive impacts on general government finances in the next few years. In addition, the Government decided on consolidation measures.

4.3.2022 | Prime Minister of Sweden Magdalena Andersson and Sweden's Minister of Defence Peter Hultqvist will visit Finland on Saturday 5 March.

2.6.2022 | A new study argues that Russia has geared its scientific and technological knowhow towards the unfolding great power competition. During the last decade Russia has sought to restore its scientific and technological prowess through various new strategies, programs and plans in order to regain its sovereign status as a great power.

27.2.2022 | On the proposal of the Government, the President of the Republic decided today that Finland will increase its aid to Ukraine and also provide military protective equipment to assist the country.

20.1.2021 | One of the topics at the meeting of the Ministerial Committee on Economic Policy on Wednesday 20 January was the HX Fighter Programme of the Finnish Defence Forces.

12.9.2022 | The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine and accelerating climate change have led to a situation in Finland and globally where the future seems rather uncertain. In the midst of uncertainty, decision-making is difficult. Finland will hold parliamentary elections in spring 2023, and the new Government Programme will outline policies for the next few years.

26.4.2020 | National Veterans’ Day will be celebrated on Monday 27 April 2020. This year, because of the coronavirus outbreak, the occasion will be marked in an unconventional manner. Festivities and honours will mainly take place online.

26.11.2021 | The Parliamentary Committee submitted its report on 26 November 2021 and proposes extending the call-up system to the entire age group. The Committee has set the goal of organising a compulsory call-up day for both women and men. This would provide young people with more extensive knowledge and readiness to fulfil national defence obligation.

6.9.2021 | The Government is adopting a single email suffix in stages during the remainder of 2021. Once the harmonisation process is complete, the email addresses of all staff members at the ministries will end in ‘gov.fi’. The Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of the Environment will adopt the new suffix on 6 September 2021.

3.10.2019 | In its plenary session on 3 October 2019, the Government has adopted a resolution on Finland’s cyber security strategy.

20.6.2023 | Press release of the Prime Minister's Office

7.1.2021 | In its plenary session on Thursday 7 January, the Government appointed Anna-Mari Vimpari (M.Soc.Sci.) State Secretary to Ministers Annika Saarikko, Matti Vanhanen, Jari Leppä, Mika Lintilä and Antti Kaikkonen from 7 January 2021 onwards. The State Secretaries’ terms end with those of the ministers.

27.6.2019 | On Thursday 27 June, the Government appointed Master of Science in Agriculture and Forestry Kimmo Tiilikainen as the State Secretary of the ministerial group of the Centre Party. The Government also appointed Master of Social Sciences Saila Ruuth as State Secretary to the Minister of Social Affairs and Health Aino-Kaisa Pekonen starting on 22 July 2019, Committee Counsel, Master of Laws with co...

1.9.2022 | The budget proposal for 2023 of Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Government builds sustainable growth for the future, secures purchasing power and assists people with the hike in electricity prices. The budget proposal responds to the effects of Russia’s war of aggression and inflation, improves safety and security, security of supply, and energy self-sufficiency, and provides further investment in research and development and in the green transition.

1.10.2019 | In its meeting of Tuesday 1 October, the Ministerial Committee on Economic Policy discussed the HX Fighter Programme of the Finnish Defence Forces.

22.10.2020 | Prime Minister Sanna Marin will take part in three video meetings with the other Nordic prime ministers on 27 and 28 October. Several other Finnish ministers will also participate in a series of virtual meetings taking place during the week when the Nordic Council would normally hold its plenary session. This year’s Session Week was to be held in Reykjavik but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2.11.2017 | In its plenary session today, 2 November, the Government endorsed a resolution on the Security Strategy for Society. The Strategy was last updated in 2010.

30.11.2017 | The National Memorial to the Winter War was unveiled at Kasarmitori square in Helsinki on 30 November 2017. With this memorial, Finland expresses appreciation for the valuable input of veterans and everyone else who participated in the war efforts. The last day of November was selected as the day of unveiling the memorial, as this was the day when the Winter War broke out in 1939. The memorial is also part of the Finland 100 festivities.

5.11.2018 | Finland to attend joint EU crisis management and hybrid threats exercise Ministry for Foreign Affairs Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Ministry of Defence Ministry of the Interior Prime Minister's Office Publication date 5.11.2018 13.40 Type: ...

21.1.2026 | Postiosoite MATINE Puolustusministeriö PL 31 00131 HELSINKI Sähköposti [email protected] Käyntiosoite Puhelinvaihde Eteläinen Makasiinikatu 8 00130 HELSINKI (09) 16001 WWW-sivut Y-tunnus www.defmin.fi/matine FI01460105 Pääsihteeri (09) 160 88310 OV...

17.3.2020 | The Government resolution to slow the spread of coronavirus infections and to protect at-risk groups, issued on 16 March 2020, states as follows (section 2):

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 ...

Special Adviser Ilmari Uljas 23.6.2022 9.58 Blog 1. Who are you? My name is Ilmari Uljas and I work in the Defence Cooperation Unit of the Defence Policy Department at the Ministry of Defence. I act as the Ministry’s EU Coordinator and together wi...

Return to page Publications Defence Policy Reports Government Defence Report 2024 At its session on 19 December 2024, the Finnish Government approved the Government Defence Report based on Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen’s presentation. The rep...

21.1.2026 | Government’s Defence Report Prime Minister’s Office Publications 7/2017 SNELLMANNINKATU 1, HELSINKI PO BOX 23, 00023 GOVERNMENT, FINLAND Tel. +358 295 16001 vnk.fi/english [email protected] ISBN: 978-952-287-374-3 PDF ISBN: 978-952-287-373-6 printed ISS...

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 ...

21.1.2026 | Prime Minister’s Office: Publications 18/2004 PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE Finnish Security and Defence Policy 2004 Government report 6/2004 VNS 6/2004 vp Government report 6/2004 Finnish Security and Defence Policy 2004 Prime Minister's Office: Public...

4.12.2024 | In line with the Programme of Prime Minister Orpo's Government, Finland's Cyber Security Strategy has been revised to respond to the changed security environment. The objectives of the revised strategy extend to 2035. A strategy implementation plan has been drawn to describe the development measures to achieve the objectives. The plan was approved on 3 December 2024 by the steering group of the project developing an operating model for government security management.

10.10.2024 | In line with the Programme of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's Government, Finland's Cyber Security Strategy has been revised to respond to the changed security environment. The strategy will make cyber security a more integral part of Finland's concept of comprehensive security.

1.4.2025 | The security environment in Finland and Europe has changed fundamentally. Russia poses a long-term threat to Europe. This requires the Government to take action. Finland will continue to strengthen its defence on a threat-informed and needs-driven basis.

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...

21.1.2026 | Distribution and sale: Helsinki University Print Bookstore http://kirjakauppa.yliopistopaino.fi / [email protected] P.O. Box 4 (Vuorikatu 3 A) FI-00014 HELSINKI UNIVERSITY, FINLAND Tel +358 9 7010 2363 or 7010 2366 Fax +358 9 7010 2374 ISBN ...

12.6.2024 | The Ministry of Transport and Communications invites comments on the revised draft of Finland's Cyber Security Strategy. The deadline for submitting opinions is 9 August 2024.

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...

8.3.2024 | On 8 March 2024, the Prime Minister’s Office set up a project to develop an operating model for government security management. As part of the project, a sub-group was established for preparing a revision of the Cyber Security Strategy.

13.11.2025 | 1 INTRODUCTION TO THE SURVEY The opinions of Finns about the foreign, security and defence policy of Finland were studied in the interview survey by the Advisory Board of Defence Information (ABDI). In addition, respondents were asked about the me...

13.11.2025 | 1 INTRODUCTION TO THE SURVEY The opinions of Finns about the foreign, security and defence policy of Finland were studied in the interview survey that was commissioned by the Advisory Board of Defence Information, ABDI (Maanpuolustustiedotuksen su...

13.11.2025 | 1 INTRODUCTION The Advisory Board for Defence Information, ABDI, (Maanpuolustustiedotuksen suunnittelukunta, MTS) polled the opinions of Finns on Finnish foreign and security policy and on defence policy. In addition, citizens were asked to provid...

12.9.2022 | How do we guide Finland forward in the midst of global uncertainty? Ministries’ futures review provides tools for decision-makers Ministry of Defence Publication date 12.9.2022 12.06 Type: Press release Government Communications Department, Minist...

11.4.2023 | Cyber security threats have increased and diversified in recent years, calling for the continuous and systematic development of cyber security. A newly published report identifies several development measures that can improve the authorities’ capacity to protect national cyber security, combat serious cyber crime and develop cyber defence.

20.12.2022 | Working group does not recommend total ban on Russian real estate ownership Ministry of Defence Publication date 20.12.2022 10.53 Type: Press release The cross-administrative working group considered a total ban on Russian real estate ownership, b...

19.9.2022 | Finland to attend joint EU decision-making exercise on crisis management and hybrid threats Ministry of Defence Publication date 19.9.2022 13.10 Type: Press release Finland will participate in the EU Integrated Resolve Exercise, which will be held...

3.11.2022 | Draft government proposal on Finland’s accession to NATO sent out for comments Ministry of Defence Publication date 3.11.2022 8.31 Type: Press release A draft government proposal on the adoption of the North Atlantic Treaty and of the Agreement on...

6.6.2022 | The working group appointed by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs presents proposals concerning the amendment of the Act on the Making of Decisions Concerning the Provision of and Request for International Assistance. The working group proposes that the Act be amended so that its scope of application would cover not only international assistance but also activities arising from Finland's national needs without an outside request.

13.11.2025 | THE ADVISORY BOARD FOR DEFENCE INFORMATION Bulletins and reports January, 2020 20 20 :3 FINNS`OPINIONS ON FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY, NATIONAL DEFENCE AND SECURITY ABDI (MTS) The Advisory Board for Defence Information (ABDI) Set up by the Governm...

13.11.2025 | The Advisory Board for Defence Information (ABDI) Set up by the Government, the Advisory Board for Defence Information (ABDI) is a perma- nent Parliamentary Committee, which administratively functions in the Ministry of Defence. In addition to par...

29.11.2018 | Ministers Niinistö, Mykkänen and Häkkänen: Real estate ownership is part of comprehensive security - monitoring must be improved Ministry of Defence Publication date 29.11.2018 19.06 Type: Press release The Government has today submitted a proposa...

13.11.2025 | THE ADVISORY BOARD FOR DEFENCE INFORMATION Bulletins and reports November, 2018 1/ 20 18 FINNS`OPINIOS ON FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY, NATIONAL DEFENCE AND SECURITY ABDI (MTS) Helsinki 2018 Finǹ s opinions on foreign and security policy The Advis...