According to the Army, the reforms will be guided by lessons from modern warfare, national and NATO directives, readiness requirements, defence cooperation, innovation, technological progress, and available resources. Development will be carried out while preserving the ability to adapt, focusing on procurement capacity, commissioning readiness, enhanced strike capabilities, infrastructure upgrades, and improved self-sufficiency in emergencies.
The reform is being driven by an assessment of military threats to Finland, with emphasis on training, indirect fire capabilities, and unmanned systems. Lessons from the war in Ukraine and other conflicts are being applied to Finnish conditions, taking into account national conscription, northern terrain, and allied support.
Strong guidance underpins the initiative, based on the most recent Government Defence Report and the Defence Forces’ development programme. The Finnish Army said NATO’s Defence Planning Process targets for land forces have also been integrated into its development plan.
The Army stressed the need to sustain high readiness and the capability for long-lasting warfare. Finland, it said, must ensure with allies “a qualitative and quantitative technological advantage preventing a slide into a war of attrition.”
The reform also aims to increase self-sufficiency, strengthen cooperation with the defence industry, make use of disruptive technologies, and develop multinational solutions. These objectives are being informed by NATO defence planning requirements, observations of Russia’s war in Ukraine, and assessments of Russia’s military development.
The Army noted that ongoing modernisation of allied land forces provides new opportunities as well as obligations. Cooperation is seen as key to cost-effective multilateral projects and defence materiel development, with choices ahead on interoperability, compatibility, and materiel commonality.
Technological change will support updated capabilities and tactics, with research and development focused on unmanned, remotely controlled, and autonomous systems. The Army highlighted that these are being developed “in a coordinated manner to benefit all services and public sector authorities with regard to international regulation.”
NATO’s decision to increase defence spending is also expected to open new prospects for Finland’s land defence. The Army said cooperation with allies will enable joint procurement, materiel standardisation, and deeper compatibility while pursuing a sustainable and balanced force structure.
The overall aim of the reforms is to maintain credible deterrence by preventing land attack on Finland. This involves modernising equipment, force structures, and procedures while ensuring readiness and capability for sustained operations.
The Army concluded that although the process is broad and forward-looking, its targets remain clear: “land defence that is stronger, more modern, and interoperable with allies, and secures the whole of the territory.”
Source: Finnish Army.
