Defence Forces consider new equipment for Afghanistan troops

Brigadier General Kilpiä: Operation is "completely different from the one we joined"

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The Defence Forces have been examining a request by Finnish crisis management soldiers in Afghanistan for new materiel and equipment. Last month, the commander of the force, Pertti Pullinen, drew up an assessment of the situation in Afghanistan for Finnish defence officials, including information on dangers facing the peacekeepers, and the escalating situation there. He also submitted a list of equipment that the force needs.
      Brigadier-General Juha Kilpiä, who is in charge of international operations at the Defence Forces, says that the Finnish soldiers have already been issued more armaments and night-vision scopes.
      The Finnish forces have also been issued crowd control equipment, pistols for firing fragmentation grenades, as well as smoke and flare munitions. Not every request could be met. Kilpiä says that not all equipment is available.
      A basic requirement has been that the equipment used by the crisis management forces in Afghanistan should be the same that is used in the defence of Finland. This means that the Finns do not have the requested rubber bullets, for instance.
      There is also discussion about whether or not the Finnish six-member surveillance units are capable of taking part in crowd control operations.
      The soldiers have also requested new protective vests, whose manufacture begins at a factory in Karstula this week. The consignment is expected to be completed by the end of November.
      When the Finns joined the peacekeeping operation in Afghanistan in 2002, the mission was to take part in civilian and military cooperation in the Kabul area. The task included the construction of schools, for instance.
     
The security situation in Afghanistan has worsened while the operation has been going on. In addition to peacekeeping forces, there are US troops involved in the hunt for al-Qaeda terrorists.
      "This is a completely different operation from the one that we joined", Juha Kilpiä says.
     
Defence Minister Seppo Kääriäinen (Centre) says that he does not know of shortcomings in equipment, but that any shortcomings have been noted. He also says that money is not the problem.
      Kääriäinen also feels that crowd control sounds like a strange and foreign task for the Finns. "There are other forces for that", he says.
      "The mission of the Finns is the collection of information, and giving support for reconstruction."
      The Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy will soon receive an analysis of the situation in Afghanistan. The committee will soon discuss the Finnish involvement in Afghanistan.
     
The present UN mandate will last another year.
      "Even that is not carved in stone. The situation will be assessed, and we will see if it is possible to continue with the present assignment. The Finns have gone there to take part in a very traditional peacekeeping mission."


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finnish troops in Afghanistan: Wounded soldier got in line of fire (26.10.2006)

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